Environmental emergencyPoor weather continued to hamper the rescue work, Lu Kang, a spokesperson at China’s foreign ministry, told a regular news briefing. The remains of one of the 32 mariners on board was found on Monday afternoon, Iranian and Chinese officials confirmed. The Panama-registered tanker was sailing from Iran to South Korea, carrying 136,000 tonnes of condensate, an ultra-light and highly volatile crude. Bad weather made it hard for the rescue crews to get access to the tanker, but toxic gas from the burning oil posed a major risk. The Shanghai Maritime Bureau’s navigation department said the collision did not affect traffic in and out of Shanghai, one of the world’s busiest and biggest ports, or ports along the Yangtze river.

Source: The Express Tribune January 08, 2018 10:52 UTC