China and South Korea mount search operation for crew of Iranian tanker spilling oil east of Shanghai after collision with Hong Kong freighterThirty-two people, mostly Iranians, were missing after an oil tanker collided with a cargo ship off China’s eastern coast, authorities said on Sunday. The missing – 30 Iranians and two Bangladeshis – were all from the Iranian tanker Sanchi, which was carrying 136,000 tonnes of oil condensate. It spilled oil and was floating while still on fire early on Sunday. The Panamanian-flagged 274m long Sanchi was operated by Iran’s Glory Shipping and was heading to South Korea with its cargo, the ministry said. Chinese maritime authorities dispatched eight ships for the search-and-rescue operation, and South Korea sent a plane and a coast guard ship to help, the official Xinhua news agency said.

Source: The Guardian January 07, 2018 08:03 UTC