Thirty-two people, including two Bangladeshis and 30 Iranians, were missing Sunday after an oil tanker collided with a cargo ship off the coast of east China, Chinese transport ministry said.
The tanker, carrying 136,000 tonnes of oil condensate, caught fire following the collision Saturday night and its crew of 32 were missing, the ministry said in a statement, adding that the crew of the second ship had been rescued, reports The Indian Express.
Reuters adds : “Sanchi is floating and burning as of now. There is an oil slick and we are pushing forward with rescue efforts,” the ministry said, adding it had dispatched four rescue ships and three cleaning boats to site as of 9am.”
South Korea has also sent a ship and helicopter to help.
State media CCTV showed photos of the tanker ablaze and billowing plumes of thick dark smoke.
Reuters ship tracking data shows Sanchi was built in 2008 and is managed by the National Iranian Tanker Co (NITC). Its registered owner is Bright Shipping Ltd.
It was due to arrive at Daesan in South Korea from Kharg Island in Iran on Sunday, according to Reuters ship tracking.
It collided with CF Crystal, registered in Hong Kong, which was carrying 64,000 tonnes of grain from the United States to China’s southern province of Guangdong, the government said.
CF Crystal’s 21 crew members, all Chinese nationals, have been rescued. It was due to arrive on Jan. 10, according to Reuters ship tracking data. Data showed it was built in 2011.
This is the second collision involving an NITC-operated vessel in recent years. An Iranian supertanker hit a container ship in the Singapore Strait, with no loss of life or pollution, in August 2016.
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