Days after an Iranian tanker sank off the coast of China, succumbing to a deadly collision and several explosions, satellites are taking note of what the tanker left behind: several large oil slicks, stretching for miles in the East China Sea.
The tanker Sanchi’s entire crew — 30 Iranians and two Bangladeshis — are presumed dead, though only three bodies have been recovered from the wreck and surrounding waters. Chinese officials say they are preparing to probe the sunken vessel, which now rests beneath 377 feet of water, using a robot submarine. Later, human divers may inspect the wreck as well.
Some effects of the deadly collision have already proved easy to observe from afar. However, citing China’s State Oceanic Administration, Reuters reports that satellite imagery has revealed two slicks of a combined 42 square miles. The slicks contain natural gas condensate, described by the wire service as “an ultra-light, highly flammable crude oil.”
The Panama-registered tanker had been carrying nearly 150,000 tons of the substance when it collided with the freighter CF Crystal earlier this month. It burned for more than a week before it sank on Sunday.
The sheer scale of the ship’s contents threatens to make this the worst tanker spill since 1991, when some 285,000 tons of oil were lost off the coast of Angola.
Chinese authorities hope to mitigate the environmental damage of the recent spill; The Associated Press notes they believe divers might be able to pump out much of the fuel tanks “before they leak and contaminate the seabed.”
Japanese officials have expressed some cautious optimism, as well.
“It is difficult to give an immediate assessment of what kind of environmental impact the oil leak may leave at this point. It depends on how much fuel the ship still had inside,” a spokesman for the country’s coast guard told AFP on Tuesday.
“We believe the situation is reasonably under control for now.”
People from across the country are looking for ways to help families of the 10 people killed at a King Soopers in Boulder on March 22.
We've compiled a list of area groups that are collecting contributions in the aftermath of the shooting.
In July, we published this statement in recognition of the work we needed to begin at CPR to confront issues of diversity, equity and inclusion in our newsroom and organization as a whole.
We know this work is urgent, and we are dedicated to doing it thoroughly and connecting it with our vision and mission to reach all and serve everyone in Colorado.
Here is an update on our progress over the last eight months.
It takes a good day’s drive to cover Colorado, but we’ll help you do it in a few minutes each morning. The Lookout daily email brings you a closer look at the issues that affect you with a rundown of important fact-based reporting — with a side of Colorado flavor.