An Iranian oil tanker is on fire off the east coast of China after colliding with a bulk container ship on Saturday 6 January 2017. No contact has been made with the crew of the Sanchi, described as 30 Iranians and two Bangladeshis, since the collision, but Chinese and Korean vessels approaching the stricken ship have reported seeing it drifting and ablaze, with oil visible on the water around it.
Fire on board the oil tanker Sanchi. Yonhap News Agency/Korea Coast Guard.
The Sanchi, which is owned by the National Iranian Tanker Co, registered in Panama, and managed by Bright Shipping Ltd. of Hong Kong, was en route from Iran to South Korea with a cargo of 136 000 tonnes of light condensate (a mixture of propane, butane, pentane, hexane and similar hydrocarbons) at the time of the collision. This is unlikely to remain long on the sea surface, as it is a mixture of compounds with low evaporation points, so the visible oil around the ship is likely to be fuel oil.
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