Beijing (CNN) An oil tanker that collided with a freight ship off the east coast of China was still on fire Monday and at risk of exploding, Chinese authorities said.

The Shanghai Maritime Bureau said Monday morning the vessel and leaked cargo were burning furiously and that fumes were hampering rescue efforts. It said that experts believed there was a risk the vessel could explode and sink.

"The poisonous gas ... is very harmful to rescue workers in the field."

Thirty Iranians and two Bangladeshi citizens went missing from the Panama-registered tanker SANCHI after the collision Saturday. Lu Kang, a spokesman for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Monday that one body had been found by search-and-rescue teams but the person's identity hadn't been confirmed.

"The environment and the conditions on the ground are not very favorable for search-and-rescue work and some crew members are still missing, Lu said.

Read More</s>Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Huge plumes of smoke were seen rising from the tanker

There are fears of an environmental disaster in the East China Sea as a tanker continues leaking oil two days after colliding with a cargo ship.

Chinese officials have told state media the Sanchi is in danger of exploding and sinking.

Rescuers trying to reach the burning tanker were beaten back by toxic clouds, the transport ministry says.

The body of one crewman, among the 30 Iranians and two Bangladeshis on board, has been found. The rest are missing.

Where, how and when did the accident happen?

The Panama-flagged Sanchi was bringing its cargo of oil from Iran to South Korea when it collided with the Hong Kong-registered freighter CF Crystal, carrying grain from the US, in the East China Sea. The incident occurred about 260km (160 miles) off the coast of Shanghai.

The collision, in the mouth of the Yangtze River Delta, occurred on Saturday evening.

The exact cause of the collision is not yet known.

Why is the Sanchi's oil so dangerous?

The tanker, run by Iran's leading oil shipping operator, has on board 136,000 tonnes of condensate, which is an ultra-light version of crude oil.

That is about one million barrels and at current prices is worth roughly $60m (£44m).

The Sanchi will also be carrying a certain amount of heavy - and toxic - shipping fuel.

Condensate is very different from the black crude that is often seen in oil spills.

It exists in gas form within high-pressure oil reservoirs and liquefies once extracted.

It is highly toxic, low in density and considerably more explosive than regular crude oil.

Condensate, which does not need the heavy refining process of denser crude, creates products such as jet fuel, petrol, diesel and heating fuel.

So is it bad for the environment?

Condensate is certainly toxic. It is much lighter in colour and odour than heavy crudes, potentially making it a lot harder to detect and contain.

Simon Boxall, of the National Oceanography Centre at the University of Southampton, told the BBC there was another difference: "It's not like crude, which does break down under natural microbial action; this stuff actually kills the microbes that break the oil down."

It cannot be picked off the surface like heavy crude.

Dr Boxall said the best hope was to put out the fire and stop the ship from sinking.

"If she sinks with a lot of cargo intact, then you have a time bomb on the sea bed which will slowly release the condensate."

He added: "There could be a long-term exclusion of fishing for many hundreds of kilometres in this area."

How is the rescue going?

The Sanchi was still ablaze on Monday morning.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said weather conditions were "not that favourable for search and rescue work".

Image copyright AFP Image caption A Chinese fire-fighting vessel tackles the blaze on the Sanchi

There are no signs of survivors among the 32-strong crew, although the 21 Chinese nationals on the grain freighter were rescued.

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

The US Navy also sent a military aircraft to help with the rescue efforts.

How does this compare with other oil spills?

It is impossible to say at this point because it is unknown how much oil has been, or will be, spilled.

The Sanchi's one million barrels is about 35 million gallons. Even if all of it spilled, it would be less than the major ship disasters listed below, but more than three times the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989, which is considered one of the world's worst environmental disasters.

So, how much the spill affects the environment depends on the location where it occurred. The Atlantic Empress incident listed below - the record spill from ships - saw little oil reach coastlines.

Image copyright AFP Image caption Cleaning up after the Torrey Canyon disaster in 1967

There are also a lot of different types of spill. Arguably the worst was the deliberate release of up to 500 million gallons by the Iraqis in January 1991 during the Gulf War. The resultant slick covered some 10,300 sq km (4,000 sq miles).

As far as ships are concerned:</s>BEIJING
• An Iranian oil tanker ablaze off China's east coast was at risk of exploding or sinking yesterday, as fears grew for 32 missing sailors amid warnings of a potential environmental disaster.

The huge fire was still raging yesterday morning around the stricken vessel, which was carrying 136,000 tonnes of light crude oil, some 36 hours after it collided with a cargo ship. But China's English-language state broadcaster CGTN later posted a video on Twitter showing the fire seemingly under control as a second vessel sprayed it with water.

Earlier, the Transport Ministry said rescuers trying to locate the crew of 30 Iranians and two Bangladeshis were being beaten back by toxic clouds. The Panamanian-flagged tanker Sanchi is "in danger of exploding or sinking", it said.

Rescuers had recovered one unidentified body as of yesterday afternoon, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang. "Conditions... are not that favourable for search and rescue work," he said, adding that "we are also investigating how to prevent any secondary disaster".

Mr Alireza Irvash, from Iran's consulate in Shanghai, told Iranian state broadcaster IRIB the body "cannot be easily identified" even though the victim had a fire safety vest on.

The accident happened last Saturday evening, 160 nautical miles east of the city. The tanker, operated by Iran's Glory Shipping, was heading for South Korea when it collided with a Hong Kong-flagged cargo ship, the CF Crystal.

As the Chinese authorities raced to contain the ship's leaking oil, experts expressed fears the accident could create an environmental disaster. If all of the Sanchi's cargo spills, it would be the biggest oil slick from a ship for decades.</s>Smoke and fire is seen from Panama-registered tanker SANCHI carrying Iranian oil after it collided with a Chinese freight ship in the East China Sea, in this still image taken from a January 7, 2018 video. — Reuters pic BEIJING, Jan 8 — An Iranian oil tanker ablaze off the Chinese coast is at risk of exploding or sinking, authorities said this morning, as they reported there was no sign of survivors 36 hours after the vessel erupted in flames.

A huge fire was still raging around the stricken ship, which had been carrying 136,000 tonnes of light oil, with fierce heat and thick black smoke billowing from the vessel and the surrounding sea.

Rescuers attempting to reach the crew of 30 Iranians and two Bangladeshis were being beaten back by toxic clouds, China’s transportation ministry said.

The Panamanian-flagged 274m tanker Sanchi is “in danger of exploding or sinking,” the ministry said.

The accident happened on Saturday evening 160 nautical miles east of Shanghai.

The tanker, operated by Iran’s Glory Shipping, was heading to South Korea when it collided with a Hong Kong-flagged cargo ship, the CF Crystal, carrying 64,000 tonnes of grain.

Ten government vessels and “many fishing ships” were helping with the ongoing rescue and clean up effort, the transportation ministry said, adding that a South Korean coast guard ship was also on the scene.

A US Navy aircraft participated in the search on Sunday, scouring a large area before returning to Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan.

Iran’s Petroleum Ministry said the tanker belongs to the National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) and was delivering its cargo to South Korea’s Hanwha Total.

The ship and its cargo were insured, a statement said.

It was the second accident in less than two years involving a tanker owned by the NITC. In August 2016 an Iranian supertanker and a container ship collided in the Singapore Strait, causing damage to both vessels but no injuries or pollution.

Saturday’s collision was the latest fatal maritime accident to hit East Asia in recent years. — AFP</s>There are fears of an environmental disaster in the East China Sea as a tanker continues to leak oil two days after colliding with a cargo ship. Chinese officials have told state media the vessel is in danger of exploding and sinking.

Rescuers attempting to reach the site were being beaten back by toxic clouds, the transportation ministry has said. The crew, 30 Iranians and two Bangladeshis, remain missing despite international rescue efforts. The extent of the spill and environmental hazard are still unclear. The vessel was still ablaze on Monday morning.

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.”

Though Panama-registered, the tanker Sanchi belongs to an Iranian company. The Sanchi was carrying 136,000 tonnes of Iranian oil when the vessel collided with a Chinese cargo ship on Saturday night, 165 nautical miles east of Shanghai.

The 21-strong crew of the Chinese ship were rescued. China has sent several ships to carry out search-and-rescue operations while South Korea helped with a coast guard ship and a helicopter. The US Navy had also sent a military aircraft to help with the rescue efforts.</s>The Wall Street Journal: Huge oil tanker ablaze, leaking after collision in South China Sea

A massive Iranian oil tanker was ablaze and leaking fuel in the East China Sea on Sunday after colliding with a large Chinese cargo ship, Iranian and Chinese officials said.</s>An Iranian oil tanker ablaze off the Chinese coast is at risk of exploding or sinking, authorities said Monday, as they reported there was no sign of survivors 36 hours after the vessel erupted in flames. The huge fire still raged around the stricken ship, which had been carrying 136,000 tonnes of light crude oil, with thick black smoke billowing from the vessel and the surrounding sea.

Rescuers attempting to reach the crew of 30 Iranians and two Bangladeshis were being beaten back by toxic clouds, China’s transportation ministry said.

The Panamanian-flagged 274-metre (899-foot) tanker Sanchi is “in danger of exploding or sinking”, the ministry said.

State broadcaster CCTV posted a video on Twitter showing the fire seemingly under control as a second vessel sprayed it with a water cannon.

Rescuers had recovered one unidentified body as of Monday afternoon, foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said during a regular press briefing.

“Conditions… are not that favourable for search and rescue work,” he said, adding that “we are also investigating how to prevent any secondary disaster.”

The accident happened on Saturday evening 160 nautical miles east of Shanghai.

The tanker, operated by Iran’s Glory Shipping, was heading to South Korea when it collided with a Hong Kong-flagged cargo ship, the CF Crystal, carrying 64,000 tonnes of grain.

Ten government vessels and “many fishing ships” were helping with the ongoing rescue and clean up effort, the transportation ministry said, adding that a South Korean coast guard ship was also on the scene.

A US Navy aircraft participated in the search on Sunday, scouring a large area before returning to Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan.

As Chinese authorities raced to contain the ship’s leaking oil, experts expressed fear that the accident was poised to create a massive environmental disaster.

Greenpeace said in a statement it was “concerned about the potential environmental damage that could be caused by the 1 million barrels of crude oil on board.” If all of the Sanchi’s cargo spills, it would be the biggest oil slick in decades. By comparison, in the sixth-worst spill since the 1960s, the Odyssey dumped 132,000 tonnes some 700 nautical miles off Canada’s Nova Scotia in 1988, according to figures from the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation website. “It’s very possible this will kill off marine life across a wide area,” Wei Xianghua, an environmental expert at Beijing’s Tsinghua University, told AFP Even under a best case scenario, it would take a “long time” for the area to get back to normal, Wei added. “At present, the only thing to be done is make the best effort to not allow the oil to spread to other places.” China had two vessels working to contain the spill early Monday morning, the transportation ministry said in its statement. Iran’s Petroleum Ministry said the tanker belongs to the National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) and was delivering its cargo to South Korea’s Hanwha Total. The ship and its cargo were insured, a statement said. This is the second accident in less than two years involving a tanker owned by the NITC. In August 2016, an Iranian supertanker and a container ship collided in the Singapore Strait, causing damage to both vessels but no injuries or pollution. Saturday’s collision was the latest in a series of fatal maritime accidents to hit East Asia in recent years. Last October, 13 crew on a Chinese fishing boat were killed after their vessel collided with a Hong Kong oil tanker off Japan’s west coast. US Navy vessels have also been involved in some accidents, including a collision between the USS John. S. McCain and a tanker off Singapore last August that killed 10 sailors.</s>BEIJING—Chinese authorities warned Monday that a large Iranian oil tanker that collided with a cargo ship in the East China Sea over the weekend was at risk of explosion and sinking.

In a statement posted online, the Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration said that areas surrounding the Sanchi tanker were still burning, as well as giving off poisonous gas that hindered rescue work.</s>Jan. 8 (UPI) -- The Iranian tanker carrying a light blend of oil that crashed off the eastern coast of China is clearly sinking, an Iranian consul general said.

The Panama-register Sanchi tanker, run by Iran's official shipper, collided with a Chinese freighter, CF Crystal, off the coast of Shanghai during the weekend. The 21 members of the Chinese vessel were secured, though only one of the 32 members of the Iranian tanker was reportedly recovered.

Alireza Irvash, the Iranian consul general in Shanghai, told the official Islamic Republic News Agency on Monday that an oil slick was spreading out from the Iranian tanker at a radius of around a half mile and the ship was still on fire.

"Local Shanghai officials and the government in Beijing are trying their best to rescue the missing crew," he was quoted by IRNA as saying. "The ship is sinking,"

The Iranian vessel was on its way to South Korea with about 1 million barrels of an ultra-light form of oil called condensate when it crashed. The National Iranian Tanker Co., which carried internationally-credited insurance, said it had formed an emergency committee to investigate the cause of the incident.

Thick black plumes of smoke were seen billowing from the listing ship.

"The Chinese government attaches great importance to the accident," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang was quoted by the official Xinhua News Agency as saying.

The CF Crystal was carrying around 64,000 tons of grain and was only partly damaged. Xinhua reported it was carrying grain from the United States to China at the time of the incident.

Neither of the official government reports gave an indication of the extent of the pollution from the sinking Iranian tanker. The Chinese government said it sent eight vessels, including three designated for cleaning, to the scene.

According to Iranian broadcaster Press TV, this was the second accident involving an Iranian tanker in a year. An oil tanker owned by the National Iranian Tanker Co. hit a Swiss cargo ship near Singapore, though no spills or injuries were reported.

Crude oil prices were only slightly higher than Friday's close in overnight trading.</s>Footage shows the Iranian oil tanker Sanchi burning in the East China Sea following a weekend collision with a cargo ship. The Chinese government said difficult weather is complicating the search for several missing crew members. Video: CCTV

BEIJING—Chinese authorities said a large Iranian oil tanker that collided with a cargo ship in the East China Sea over the weekend was at risk of explosion and sinking.

In an online statement posted Monday, the Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration said that areas surrounding the Sanchi tanker were still burning, giving off a poisonous gas that was hindering rescue work.
MV Sanchi is still ablaze this morning and it continues to leak oil. Chinese officials mention the danger of explosion and sinking.