BEIJING/SEOUL (Reuters) - Rescue crews were forced to retreat from a stricken Iranian oil tanker in the East China Sea on Wednesday following an explosion on the ship as a fire raged for a fourth day after a dramatic collision.

Smoke is seen from the Panama-registered Sanchi tanker carrying Iranian oil, which went ablaze after a collision with a Chinese freight ship in the East China Sea, in this January 9, 2018 handout picture released by China's Ministry of Transport January 10, 2018. China's Ministry of Transport/Handout via REUTERS

The blast happened on board the tanker in the afternoon after rescue crews were dousing the ship with foam in an attempt to put out the fire, China’s Transport Ministry (MOT) said in a statement on Wednesday.

The cause and damage to the tanker from the incident were not clear. The ship was carrying condensate, a highly flammable ultra-light crude, to deliver to South Korea when it collided with a Chinese freight ship on Saturday.

Dozens of rescue boats from China and South Korea have been battling strong winds, high waves and poisonous fumes to comb a 900-square-nautical-mile (3,100-square-kilometre) area for 31 missing sailors and tame the fire, amid growing concerns the listing ship may explode or sink.

Iran’s Navy joined the effort on Wednesday, a government official said, according to the Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA).

The lashing winds are expected to ease on Thursday, the MOT said.

The tanker Sanchi (IMO:9356608), run by Iran’s top oil shipping operator, National Iranian Tanker Co, collided on Saturday with the CF Crystal (IMO:9497050), carrying grain from the United States, about 160 nautical miles (300 km) off China’s coast near Shanghai.

The Sanchi was carrying 136,000 tonnes of condensate, equivalent to about 1 million barrels and worth some $60 million.

(Graphic on ship collision: tmsnrt.rs/2CBgqai)

The Chinese government said late on Tuesday it had not found a “large-scale” oil leak, and the condensate was burning off or evaporating so quickly that it would leave little residue - less than 1 percent - within five hours of a spill. That reduces the chances of a crude-style oil slick.

Iranian officials said there was still a chance of finding survivors among the 31 remaining crew, who are all Iranian nationals except for two Bangladeshi citizens. The body of a crew member was found on Monday in the water near the tanker.

“If the crew have been able to reach (...) some place like the engine room, then the chances of their rescue are high,” said Hassan Qashqavi, a senior Iranian foreign ministry official, according to ISNA.

“But if, God forbid, they have been caught up in explosions because of flames inside the ship, then the chance of their rescue is small.”

VULNERABLE TO BREAK-UP

Authorities and environmentalists worry though the ship is increasingly vulnerable to breaking up and sinking the longer the blaze rages. Still, the ultra light crude is highly volatile when exposed to air and water.

South Korea’s Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries warned on Wednesday the tanker could burn for up to one month, potentially expelling the tanker’s bunker fuel, or the heavy fuel oil that powers a ship’s engines and contaminating the waters.

“We believe flames would last for two weeks or a month considering previous cases of oil tank accidents,” said Park Sung-dong, an official at the ministry.

Bunker fuel is the dirtiest kind of oil, extremely toxic when spilled, though much less explosive.

Fuel oil is relatively easy to contain because volumes are lower and its viscosity means it’s easier to extract from water, but even small volumes can hurt marine life.

“The problem is the ship’s heavy bunker fuel,” said Chauncey Naylor, a U.S.-based director of emergency response and training at Tyco Corp’s oil-fire specialists Williams Fire & Hazard Control, which is not involved in the clean-up.

“It burns real slow and it’s heavy and will lay on the ocean and on any twisted metal and create heavy smoke. It’s the stuff that spills and gets on birds.”

Smoke is seen from Panama-registered Sanchi tanker carrying Iranian oil that caught ablaze after it collided with a Chinese freight ship in the East China Sea. China's Ministry of Transport/via REUTERS

The Zhoushan fishing ground where the collision occurred is known as one of the biggest in the East China Sea, particularly for mackerel and croaker, according to Greenpeace. In 2016, the catch from the East China Sea was 5.18 million tonnes, making it China’s largest fishing ground.

A Suezmax tanker can hold a maximum of 5,000 tonnes of bunker fuel to keep it running. The Sanchi may have been carrying about 1,000 tonnes by the time it hit the grain freighter, according to bunker fuel traders’ estimates.

Park said it’s unlikely the oil will spread to South Korea at the moment because the tanker has moved 100 kilometres (62 miles) to the southeast.</s>Beijing/Seoul — Rescue crews were forced to retreat from a stricken Iranian oil tanker in the East China Sea on Wednesday following an explosion on the ship. A fire raged for a fourth day.

The blast happened on board the tanker in the afternoon after rescue crews were dousing the ship with foam in an attempt to put out the fire, China’s transport ministry said on Wednesday.

The cause of the blast and extent of damage to the tanker were not clear.

The ship was carrying condensate, a highly flammable ultralight crude, to deliver to South Korea when it collided with a Chinese freight ship on Saturday about 300km off China’s coast near Shanghai.

Dozens of rescue boats from China and South Korea have been battling strong winds, high waves and poisonous fumes to comb a 3,100km2 area for 31 missing sailors and to tame the fire, amid growing concerns that the listing ship may explode or sink. Iran’s navy joined the effort on Wednesday, a government official said.

The lashing winds were expected to ease on Thursday, the Chinese ministry said.

The tanker Sanchi, run by Iran’s top oil shipping operator, National Iranian Tanker, collided on Saturday with the CF Crystal, carrying grain from the US. The Sanchi was carrying 136,000 tonnes of condensate, equivalent to about 1-million barrels and worth $60m.

The Chinese government said on Tuesday it had not found a "large-scale" oil leak and the condensate was burning off or evaporating so quickly that it would leave little residue — less than 1% — within five hours of a spill. That reduces the chances of a crude-style oil slick.

Officials said there was still a chance of finding survivors among the 31 remaining crew, who are all Iranian nationals except for two Bangladeshi citizens. The body of a crew member was found on Monday in the water near the tanker.

"If the crew have been able to reach some place like the engine room, then the chances of their rescue are high," said Hassan Qashqavi, a senior Iranian foreign ministry official. "But if, God forbid, they have been caught up in explosions because of flames inside the ship, then the chance of their rescue is small."

Authorities and environmentalists worry that the ship is increasingly vulnerable to breaking up and sinking the longer the blaze rages.

Still, the ultralight crude is highly volatile when exposed to air and water.

South Korea’s ministry of oceans and fisheries warned on Wednesday that the tanker could burn for up to a month, potentially expelling the tanker’s bunker fuel and contaminating the waters.

Bunker fuel — the heavy fuel oil that powers a ship’s engines — is the dirtiest kind of oil and is extremely toxic when spilled.</s>The front section of an Iranian oil tanker that has been on fire for days off the east China coast has exploded, forcing rescue boats searching for 31 missing sailors to retreat and sparking environmental concerns.

Thirty-two crew members, including 30 Iranians and two Bangladeshis, went missing after the tanker carrying 136,000 tonnes of oil condensate from Iran to South Korea collided with a Hong Kong-registered bulk freighter and caught fire on Saturday in waters about 160 sea miles east of the Yangtze River’s estuary.

Since then, the Panama-registered tanker Sanchi has been ablaze and drifting in the waters between Shanghai and southern Japan.

So far, no survivors from the tanker have been found and only one body has been recovered. All 21 crew members aboard the Chinese ship were rescued.

The front section of the tanker exploded on Wednesday.

“Vessels at the scene have to stop putting out the fire and withdraw back to (a safe distance),” China’s ministry of transport said. “The fire extinguishing operation did not achieve the desired effect,” it said.

China’s largest patrol ship Haixun 01 is fighting the fire after the explosion while organising other vessels to move away, the ministry said.

According to the ministry, Japanese sea police arrived at the scene an hour before the explosion and established contact with Haixun 01.

China’s Ministry of Foreign affairs said on Wednesday that 12 vessels were searching for the missing sailors in the tanker’s vicinity before the explosion, and efforts were continuing to clean up any spilled light crude.

Since the crash, the tanker has been billowing thick plumes of black smoke. Officials worry that the explosion might sink the ship, releasing its 1 million barrels of oil into the water.

The resulting spill would be about three times as big as the Exxon Valdez spill of 1989, one of the worst environmental disasters in history.

“For now, burning might be good for consuming the leaked oil, but there will be some remaining for which disposal will be difficult,” Lin Boqiang, director of the China Centre for Energy Economics Research at Xiamen University, told the Global Times.

Sanchi was carrying 1.36 lakh tons of condensate oil when it collided with CF Crystal, a Hong Kong-registered bulk freighter in waters about 160 nautical miles east of the Yangtze River estuary.

Experts are especially worried because the ship is carrying condensate, an ultralight version of crude oil. Condensate is highly toxic and even more combustible than regular crude oil. It also is nearly colourless and odourless, which makes it difficult to detect.

Oil is usually not degradable, meaning the damage to the ocean would be long-term, he said.

Zhao Ruxiang, an expert with China’s Yantai Oil Spill Response Technical Centre, was quoted by the ministry as saying that a simulation test showed condensate oil in the water can evaporate so quickly that it will leave little residue - less than 1 percent after five hours.

“It is toxic and volatile when exposed to air,” Zhao said.</s>Tanker exploded forcing rescue boats looking for 31 sailors to retreat, sparking environmental concerns</s>China’s Transport Ministry (MOT) issued a statement on Wednesday recounting that there was an explosion aboard the Iranian oil tanker that collided with a Chinese grain ship after rescue crews tried to use foam to extinguish the fire.

The explosion happened at around 13:35 Beijing time on Wednesday

Emergency ships were forced to withdraw to safe distance after THE explosion, the MOT said

An Iranian-owned tanker collided with a cargo ship off the eastern coast of China, leaving 32 people missing.

The collision occurred between the “Sanchi” tanker and the huge Hong Kong freighter “CF Crystal” in the East China Sea on Saturday at around 12:00 GMT, according to reports in the Chinese media, which cited the Chinese Ministry of Transport on Sunday.

The tanker, which was carrying 136,000 tonnes of condensed oil for South Korea, “caught fire,” according to the ministry’s statement.

Reports said 30 Iranian and two Bangladeshi sailors went missing in the collision.</s>Rescuers have found a body believed to be that of a sailor from an Iranian oil tanker which caught fire after a collision in the East China Sea, with 31 other people still missing.

Rescuers have found a body believed to be that of a sailor from an Iranian oil tanker which caught fire after a collision in the East China Sea, with 31 other people still missing.

There is no further word about the other missing sailors since the Panamanian-registered Sanchi collided with a freighter late on Saturday. Chinese media said the tanker is still on fire, and is at risk of exploding.

The tanker was carrying 136,000 metric tonnes (nearly one million barrels) of condensate, a type of gassy, ultra-light oil, when it collided with the Hong Kong-registered freighter CF Crystal. All 21 crew members of the Crystal, which was carrying grain from the United States to China, were rescued. The crew of the Crystal were all Chinese nationals.

It is not immediately clear what caused the collision, which happened in open seas rather than in a narrow channel where such accidents are more common. Ships of such size generally come with sophisticated radar and other technologies aimed at preventing collisions.

The Sanchi was sailing from Iran to South Korea when the collision occurred 160 miles off the coast of Shanghai. Ships and aircraft from South Korea and the US are assisting rescue efforts, which have been hampered by fierce fires and poisonous gases which engulfed the tanker and surrounding waters.

However, the Sanchi's own fuel which leaked during the collision will be more difficult to clean, especially if the tanker explodes and sinks.

The tanker has operated under five different names since it was built in 2008, according the UN-run International Maritime Organisation (IMO). The IMO listed its registered owner as Hong Kong-based Bright Shipping, on behalf of the National Iranian Tanker Company, a publicly traded firm based in Tehran. The National Iranian Tanker Co describes itself as operating the largest tanker fleet in the Middle East.

An official in Iran's Oil Ministry said the tanker was owned by the National Iranian Tanker Co and confirmed that 30 of the tanker's 32 crew members were Iranians. The others are Bangladeshi. It is the second collision for a ship from the National Iranian Tanker Co in less than a year and a half.</s>RESCUE crews were forced to retreat from the stricken Iranian oil tanker in the East China Sea yesterday following an explosion on the ship as a fire raged for a fourth day after a dramatic collision.

The blast happened on board the tanker yesterday afternoon after rescue crews were dousing the ship with foam in an attempt to put out the fire, China’s transport ministry said.

The cause and damage to the tanker from the incident were not clear.

The ship was carrying condensate, a highly flammable ultra-light crude, to deliver to South Korea when it collided with a Chinese freight ship last Saturday.

Dozens of rescue boats from China and South Korea have been battling strong winds, high waves and poisonous fumes to comb a 3,100-square-kilometer area for 31 missing sailors and tame the fire, amid growing concerns the listing ship may explode or sink. The lashing winds are expected to ease today, the transport ministry said.

Iran’s Navy joined the effort yesterday, a government official said.

The tanker Sanchi, run by Iran’s top oil shipping operator, National Iranian Tanker Co, collided with the CF Crystal, carrying grain from the United States, about 300km off China’s coast near Shanghai.

The tanker was carrying condensate equivalent to about 1 million barrels and worth some US$60 million.

Iranian officials said there was still a chance of finding survivors among the 31 remaining crew, who are all Iranian nationals except for two Bangladeshi citizens. The body of a crew member was found on Monday in the water near the tanker.

“If the crew have been able to reach some place like the engine room, then the chances of their rescue are high,” said Hassan Qashqavi, a senior Iranian foreign ministry official.

“But if, God forbid, they have been caught up in explosions because of flames inside the ship, then the chance of their rescue is small.”

Authorities and environmentalists worry though the ship is increasingly vulnerable to breaking up and sinking the longer the blaze rages. Ultra-light crude is highly volatile when exposed to air and water.

A Chinese marine surveillance plane has discovered a small area of suspected oil spill near the collision site, according to the State Oceanic Administration.

South Korea’s Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries warned yesterday the tanker could burn for up to a month, potentially expelling the tanker’s bunker fuel, or the heavy fuel oil that powers a ship’s engines and contaminating the waters. “We believe flames would last for two weeks or a month considering previous cases of oil tank accidents,” said Park Sung-dong, an official at the ministry.

Bunker fuel is the dirtiest kind of oil, extremely toxic when spilled, though much less explosive.

The Zhoushan fishing ground where the collision occurred is known as one of the biggest in the East China Sea, particularly for mackerel.</s>Explosions rocked a stricken Iranian oil tanker in the East China Sea on Wednesday, forcing maritime authorities to suspend firefighting and rescue efforts as a blaze raged on the vessel for the fourth day after a collision with a freight ship.

The explosion on the Sanchi's bow was the latest setback in the multinational effort to extinguish the blaze and forced rescue vessels to move to a safe distance, China's Ministry of Transport said. It was not immediately known if the explosion was large enough to cause the ship to sink.

Earlier in the day, an official with South Korea’s Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries told Reuters the oil tanker could burn for as long as a month.

“We believe flames would last for two weeks or a month considering previous cases of oil tank accidents,” Park Sung-Dong said.

The Sanchi was carrying nearly 1 million barrels of ultra-light oil when it collided Saturday evening with a freighter 160 miles off the coast and caught fire. The cause of the collision remains unclear.

IRANIAN OIL TANKER BURNING FOR THIRD DAY, MAY EXPLODE AS CREW STILL MISSING

Intense flames, bad weather and poor visibility have hampered rescue efforts in the following days. Rescues have also faced the threat of poisonous fumes from the hulking wreck.

Rescuers on Tuesday found a body believed to be a sailor from the Iranian-operated tanker, while a search continued for 31 other missing crew members.The Iranian company who owns the ship said there is still hope of finding survivors.

A spokesman for National Iranian Tanker Co. told The Associated Press in Tehran rescuers "likely" will find survivors.

IRANIAN OIL TANKER BURNING OFF CHINA MAY EXPLODE, BODY FOUND IN SEARCH FOR MISSING CREW

"Since the vessel's engine room is not directly affected by the fire and is about [46 feet] under water, there is still hope," spokesman Mohsen Bahrami said late Tuesday. "We are persistently working to put out the fire and rescue possible survivors."

Mahmoud Abuli Ghasemabadi, the brother of missing Iranian sailor Ehasan Abuli Ghasemabadi, told the AP he and other families remained hopeful for good news.

"I ask countries that are in that region and can offer any assistance to help us deal with this situation as soon as possible," Ghasemabadi said.

It's the second collision for a ship from the National Iranian Tanker Co. in less than a year and a half. In August 2016, one of its tankers collided with a Swiss container ship in the Singapore Strait, damaging both ships but causing no injuries or oil spill.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.</s>BEIJING — Rescuers have found a body believed to be of a sailor from the Iranian oil tanker set ablaze after a collision in the East China Sea, China’s Ministry of Transportation said Tuesday, as the search continued for another 31 missing from the same ship.

The ministry said the body recovered Monday had yet to be identified but was wearing a protective suit designed to withstand cold seawater. There was no further word about the others missing since the Panamanian-registered Sanchi collided with a freighter late Saturday.

Chinese media said the tanker was still on fire Tuesday and at risk of exploding.

The tanker was carrying 136,000 metric tons (nearly 1 million barrels) of condensate, a type of gassy, ultra-light oil, when it collided with the Hong Kong-registered freighter CF Crystal. All 21 crew members of the Crystal, which was carrying grain from the United States to China, were rescued, the Chinese ministry said. The Crystal’s crew members were all Chinese nationals.

It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the collision, which happened in open seas rather than a narrow channel where such accidents are more common. Ships of such size generally come with sophisticated radar and other technologies aimed at preventing collisions.

The Sanchi was sailing from Iran to South Korea when the collision occurred 257 kilometres off the coast of Shanghai, China’s Ministry of Transport said.

Ships and aircraft from South Korea and the U.S. are aiding in rescue efforts, which have been hampered by fierce fires and poisonous gases that have engulfed the tanker and surrounding waters.

The collision has set off concerns of a potential environmental disaster, although condensate is more likely to evaporate or burn off immediately than thick, heavy crude oil. However, the Sanchi’s own fuel that leaked during the collision will be more difficult to clean, especially if the tanker explodes and sinks.

The tanker has operated under five different names since it was built in 2008, according the U.N.-run International Maritime Organization. The IMO listed its registered owner as Hong Kong-based Bright Shipping Ltd., on behalf of the National Iranian Tanker Co., a publicly traded company based in Tehran. The National Iranian Tanker Co. describes itself as operating the largest tanker fleet in the Middle East.

An official in Iran’s Oil Ministry, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters, said the tanker was owned by the National Iranian Tanker Co. and confirmed that 30 of the tanker’s 32 crew members were Iranians. The others are Bangladeshi.

It’s the second collision for a ship from the National Iranian Tanker Co. in less than a year and a half. In August 2016, one of its tankers collided with a Swiss container ship in crowded waters near Singapore, damaging both ships but causing no injuries or oil spill.</s>A stricken Iranian oil tanker continued to burn out of control for a third day in the East China Sea as rescue boats struggled Tuesday to locate missing sailors before the vessel explodes.

The tanker Sanchi, run by Iran’s top oil shipping operator, has been on fire since late Saturday night, when it hit a freight ship about 160 miles off the coast of Shanghai, burst into flames and began spilling oil into the sea.

“We can’t grasp the level of oil contamination at this moment," Park Sung-dong, an official from South Korea’s Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, told Reuters. "The cargo is still on fire, so it is hard to figure out if oil is being spilled."

Dozens of rescue boats that have responded to the scene are facing wind-driven rain and waves as high as 10 feet, China's Ministry of Transport said Tuesday in a statement. The poor weather conditions, fierce flames and threat of poisonous gases have kept crews away from the stricken vessel under fears it may also explode.

Two South Korean officials told Reuters the flames are keeping the South Korean Coast Guard’s search and rescue team as far as three miles away from the tanker. Chinese state broadcaster China Central Television showed video Monday of boats trying to douse the flames with water, and reported the boat could still explode.

The tanker was carrying nearly 1 million barrels of condensate, a type of gassy, ultra-light oil, when it collided with the Hong Kong-registered freighter CF Crystal, which was carrying grain from the United States. All 21 crew members of the Crystal were rescued, the Chinese ministry said. The Crystal's crew members were all Chinese nationals.

IRANIAN OIL TANKER BURNING OFF CHINA MAY EXPLODE, BODY FOUND IN SEARCH FOR MISSING CREW

A sailor on the fishing boat that rescued the crew of the CF Crystal told the state-owned Xinhua News the blaze on the oil tanker kept "exploding like bombs.

“The fire was so fierce. It kept exploding like bombs. So loud,” Zhu Tingwen said.

For the crew on board the Sanchi, the situation becomes more grim as the days go on.

Rescuers found a body on Monday believed to be of a sailor from the oil tanker, China's Ministry of Transportation said, as the search continued for another 31 missing from the same ship.

The ministry said the body recovered Monday had yet to be identified but was wearing a protective suit designed to withstand cold seawater. There was no further word about the others missing.

US NAVY PLANE JOINS HUNT FOR 32 SAILORS AFTER IRANIAN TANKER COLLIDES WITH FREIGHTER OFF CHINA

It wasn't immediately clear what caused the collision, which happened in open seas rather than a narrow channel where such accidents are more common.

The collision has set off concerns of a potential environmental disaster, although condensate is more likely to evaporate or burn off immediately than thick, heavy crude oil. However, the Sanchi's own fuel that leaked during the collision will be more difficult to clean, especially if the tanker explodes and sinks.

An official in Iran's Oil Ministry, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters, said the tanker was owned by the National Iranian Tanker Co. and confirmed that 30 of the tanker's 32 crew members were Iranians. The others are Bangladeshi.

It's the second collision for a ship from the National Iranian Tanker Co. in less than a year and a half. In August 2016, one of its tankers collided with a Swiss container ship in crowded waters near Singapore, damaging both ships but causing no injuries or oil spill.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A fire on the oil tanker rages for the fourth day. An explosion forces rescue teams to retreat as 31 sailors remain missing.