Rescuers battle toxic oil blaze off China coast
by Ben Bland - Financial Times
Rescue workers are battling a toxic oil blaze at sea as 32 sailors remain missing after an Iranian-managed oil tanker collided with a Chinese bulk carrier off the coast of China on Saturday night. The Sanchi tanker, which was carrying condensate, a type of light oil, from Iran to South Korea, collided with the CF Crystal 160 nautical miles east of the mouth of the Yangtze river, according to China’s ministry of transport.
The response has been hampered by the fierce fire and toxic gases from the wreck, Chinese state media said. China, South Korea and the US have all dispatched ships and aircraft to assist with the incident. The environmental damage from the collision is still unknown, but could be limited because condensate burns and evaporates more easily than the heavier crude oil involved in some of the world’s best-known spills.
All 32 sailors on board the Sanchi, 30 of them Iranian and two from Bangladesh, remained unaccounted for on Monday. A photograph released by the Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration on Sunday showed flames and thick black smoke emanating from the length of the Sanchi.
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China has been trying to tighten its environmental controls and improve its response mechanisms following several high-profile spills in the past few years. In 2015, China National Petroleum Corp agreed a $32m environmental settlement for victims, after China’s worst crude oil spill fouled the coast near the northeastern port of Dalian in 2010. ConocoPhillips and its local partner Cnooc were fined and required to pay compensation because of a leak from an offshore oil well in Bohai Bay, near Dalian, in 2011.
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https://www.ft.com/content/4ef4af5c-f379-11e7-88f7-5465a6ce1a00
by Ben Bland - Financial Times
Rescue workers are battling a toxic oil blaze at sea as 32 sailors remain missing after an Iranian-managed oil tanker collided with a Chinese bulk carrier off the coast of China on Saturday night. The Sanchi tanker, which was carrying condensate, a type of light oil, from Iran to South Korea, collided with the CF Crystal 160 nautical miles east of the mouth of the Yangtze river, according to China’s ministry of transport.
The response has been hampered by the fierce fire and toxic gases from the wreck, Chinese state media said. China, South Korea and the US have all dispatched ships and aircraft to assist with the incident. The environmental damage from the collision is still unknown, but could be limited because condensate burns and evaporates more easily than the heavier crude oil involved in some of the world’s best-known spills.
All 32 sailors on board the Sanchi, 30 of them Iranian and two from Bangladesh, remained unaccounted for on Monday. A photograph released by the Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration on Sunday showed flames and thick black smoke emanating from the length of the Sanchi.
***
China has been trying to tighten its environmental controls and improve its response mechanisms following several high-profile spills in the past few years. In 2015, China National Petroleum Corp agreed a $32m environmental settlement for victims, after China’s worst crude oil spill fouled the coast near the northeastern port of Dalian in 2010. ConocoPhillips and its local partner Cnooc were fined and required to pay compensation because of a leak from an offshore oil well in Bohai Bay, near Dalian, in 2011.
Please use the sharing tools found via the email icon at the top of articles. Copying articles to share with others is a breach of FT.com T&Cs and Copyright Policy. Email licensing@ft.com to buy additional rights. Subscribers may share up to 10 or 20 articles per month using the gift article service. More information can be found here.
https://www.ft.com/content/4ef4af5c-f379-11e7-88f7-5465a6ce1a00
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