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China: Iranian Oil Tanker Wreck Produces 2 Slicks in East China Sea


In this photo provided by China's Ministry of Transport, a rescue ship sails near the burning Iranian oil tanker Sanchi in the East China Sea off the eastern coast of China, Jan. 14, 2018.
In this photo provided by China's Ministry of Transport, a rescue ship sails near the burning Iranian oil tanker Sanchi in the East China Sea off the eastern coast of China, Jan. 14, 2018.

An Iranian oil tanker that sank in the East China Sea has left two oil slicks covering a combined 109 square kilometers (42 square miles), the Chinese government said late Tuesday, as maritime police scoured the area for damage.

Satellite imaging showed a slick of 69 square kilometers (26.6 square miles) and a second 40-square-kilometer (15.4-square-mile) slick, which is less thick and not as concentrated, the State Oceanic Administration (SOA) said in a statement.

The large tanker Sanchi sank in the worst oil ship disaster in decades on Sunday, raising worries about damage to the marine ecosystem.

The vessel's crew of 30 Iranians and two Bangladeshis are all believed to have perished in the incident.

In this photo provided by China's Ministry of Transport, smoke and flames rise from the burning Iranian oil tanker Sanchi in the East China Sea off the eastern coast of China, Jan. 14, 2018.
In this photo provided by China's Ministry of Transport, smoke and flames rise from the burning Iranian oil tanker Sanchi in the East China Sea off the eastern coast of China, Jan. 14, 2018.

The SOA said vessels have taken 31 water samples in the area around the wreck containing black grease with heavy oil smells, and a concentration of petroleum that exceeds some seawater quality standard limits.

The news came as cleanup teams continued to monitor the wreck area to assess the distribution and drift of the oil spill and the ecological impact.

The tanker had been adrift and ablaze after crashing into the freighter CF Crystal on January 6. Strong winds pushed it away from the Chinese coast, where the incident happened, and into Japan's exclusive economic zone.

The ship, which was carrying 136,000 tons or almost a million barrels of condensate — an ultralight, highly flammable crude oil — sank after several explosions weakened the hull.

On Tuesday, Japan's environment ministry said it didn't see much chance that the spill would reach its shores.

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    Reuters

    Reuters is a news agency founded in 1851 and owned by the Thomson Reuters Corporation based in Toronto, Canada. One of the world's largest wire services, it provides financial news as well as international coverage in over 16 languages to more than 1000 newspapers and 750 broadcasters around the globe.

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