China oil spill sparks environmental disaster fears

Beijing Jan 8 (IANS) Fears of a growing environmental disaster in the East China Sea escalated as a tanker continued to be still ablaze and leak oil on Monday two days after colliding with a cargo ship.

On Saturday night the Sanchi tanker carrying 136 000 tonnes of Iranian oil collided with a Chinese cargo ship 165 nautical miles east of Shanghai the BBC reported.

The 21-strong crew of the Chinese ship were rescued but Sanchi s crew 30 Iranians and two Bangladeshis remain missing.

The tanker had been carrying an ultra-light form of oil known as condensate which in the case of a spill can be more dangerous for the environment than regular crude.

"Condensate is more likely to evaporate and mix in with the water " John Driscoll of JTD Energy Services told the BBC.

"It also can be colour- and odourless - so it is a lot harder to detect contain and clean up."

The extent of the spill and environmental hazard were still unclear.

The US Navy has sent a military aircraft to help China with the rescue efforts which have been hampered by the blaze and oil slick.

China has deployed several ships to carry out search-and-rescue operations while South Korea has also sent a coast guard ship and a helicopter.

--IANS
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