Oil tanker burning off China's coast at risk of exploding

[margarita25]

"The blast happened on board the tanker in the afternoon after rescue crews were dousing the ship with foam in an attempt to put out the fire, China’s Transport Ministry (MOT) said in a statement on Wednesday.

The cause and damage to the tanker from the incident were not clear. The ship was carrying condensate, a highly flammable ultra-light crude, to deliver to South Korea when it collided with a Chinese freight ship on Saturday.

Dozens of rescue boats from China and South Korea have been battling strong winds, high waves and poisonous fumes to comb a 900-square-nautical-mile (3,100-square-kilometre) area for 31 missing sailors and tame the fire, amid growing concerns the listing ship may explode or sink."

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...r-forces-rescue-team-to-retreat-idUSKBN1EZ03L

 

[margarita25]

"Iran’s Navy joined the effort on Wednesday, a government official said, according to the Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA).

The lashing winds are expected to ease on Thursday, the MOT said.

The tanker Sanchi (IMO:9356608), run by Iran’s top oil shipping operator, National Iranian Tanker Co, collided on Saturday with the CF Crystal (IMO:9497050), carrying grain from the United States, about 160 nautical miles (300 km) off China’s coast near Shanghai.

The Sanchi was carrying 136,000 tonnes of condensate, equivalent to about 1 million barrels and worth some $60 million."

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...r-forces-rescue-team-to-retreat-idUSKBN1EZ03L

 

[margarita25]

"Bunker fuel is the dirtiest kind of oil, extremely toxic when spilled, though much less explosive.

Fuel oil is relatively easy to contain because volumes are lower and its viscosity means it’s easier to extract from water, but even small volumes can hurt marine life.

“The problem is the ship’s heavy bunker fuel,” said Chauncey Naylor, a U.S.-based director of emergency response and training at Tyco Corp’s oil-fire specialists Williams Fire & Hazard Control, which is not involved in the clean-up.

“It burns real slow and it’s heavy and will lay on the ocean and on any twisted metal and create heavy smoke. It’s the stuff that spills and gets on birds.”

The Zhoushan fishing ground where the collision occurred is known as one of the biggest in the East China Sea, particularly for mackerel and croaker, according to Greenpeace. In 2016, the catch from the East China Sea was 5.18 million tonnes, making it China’s largest fishing ground."

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...r-forces-rescue-team-to-retreat-idUSKBN1EZ03L

 

[MelmothTheLost]

It's sunk.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5267747/Iranian-oil-tanker-sinks-collision-China.html

 

[margarita25]

It's sunk.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5267747/Iranian-oil-tanker-sinks-collision-China.html

Thanks for the update, MelmothTheLost.

From Jan 14:

"'No hope' of saving 32 crew members on board Iranian oil tanker as vessel sinks after collision off China leaving huge slick of burning oil"

 

[margarita25]

East China Sea oil slick triples in size along whale migration route
Chinese authorities say biggest spill from sunken Iranian tanker widens to cover more than 330 sq km
PUBLISHED : Monday, 22 January, 2018

http://www.scmp.com/news/china/poli...-china-sea-oil-slick-triples-size-along-whale

"The area where the ship went down is an important spawning ground for species like the swordtip squid and wintering ground for species like the yellow croaker fish and blue crab, among many others, according to Greenpeace.

It is also on the migratory pathway of numerous marine mammals, such as humpback and grey whales."