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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