EPA Iran oil tanker spill: Coastguard boats are battling to contain a massive oil slick

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The stricken vessel had been ablaze for a whole week after colliding with another ship, but sunk yesterday after its already weakened hull was destroyed by a series of large explosions. Rescue ships have already recovered three bodies and Iranian officials now say the remaining 29 crew and passengers are presumed dead. The Sanchi was carrying almost 136,000 tonnes - equivalent to nearly one million barrels - of condensate, an ultra-light and extremely flammable type of crude oil. Its highly toxic cargo has now spread out in a massive slick covering more than 55 square miles, according to Japanese authorities.

This makes it the biggest tanker spill since 1991 when 260,000 tonnes of oil leaked off the Angolan coast. Coastguard ships from Japan, China and South Korea are now battling to contain the slick amid growing concerns over the environmental impact. Experts fear the ship’s sinking could be far worse than if the remaining condensate oil on board had continued to burn. The sinking will likely spill the remaining condensate as well as the tanker's bunker fuel, a heavy oil which powers the ship’s engines.

EPA Coastguard boats fought to extinguish the blaze onboard the tanker for a week before it sank

South China Sea tanker disaster: 32 missing as oil tanker crashes Tue, January 9, 2018 South China Sea tanker disaster: Rescuers are searching for 32 missing crewmen after on oil tanker and a grain ship smashed into each other the South China Sea. Play slideshow EPA 1 of 7 South China Sea tanker disaster

Bunker fuel is the dirtiest kind of oil and extremely toxic when spilled, while condensate is also poisonous to marine life. A Chinese salvage team was able to board the tanker and recover two bodies from the over the weekend. They were also able to recover the ship’s voyage data recorder, or ‘black box’, from the bridge before thick toxic smoke forced them off the tanker. Chinese authorities say the recovery of the device should shed light on exactly what happened at the time of the collision. A third body, presumed to be one of the crew, was found in the ocean near the ship on Monday and has been taken to Shanghai for identification.

AFP A Chinese salvage crew was able to board the stricken vessel briefly before it sank