Fire continued to rage on the Iranian tanker that collided with the bulker CF Crystal on Saturday evening.
The body of crew member from the vessel has been found according to an Iranian official. Mohammad Rastad, head of Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization, was quoted as saying by ISNA news agency that the body was sent to Shanghai for identification.
The other 31 seafarers from the tanker remain missing. The tanker had a crew of 30 Iranians and two Bangladeshi nationals.
Chinese authorities meanwhile said that the still blazing tanker was at risk of exploding. The tanker was carrying a cargo of 136,000 tonnes of oil condensate at the time of the collision.
IMO secretary-general Ki-Tack Lim offer his deepest sympathies to the families of the missing seafarers.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the seafarers still missing from the oil tanker Sanchi, following a reported collision off the coast of China. I send my deepest sympathies to all their families and loved ones,” Lim said.
“This is an ongoing situation which we are monitoring. IMO stands ready to offer any technical assistance that may be needed. In the longer term, it is expected that there will be a full investigation into this incident and that the results and findings will be brought to IMO so that we can do whatever may be necessary to reduce the chances of such an incident happening again."
The cause of the collision is unknown.
Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved. Seatrade, a trading name of Informa Markets (UK) Limited. Add Seatrade Maritime News to your Google News feed.
