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Huge oil spill after Iranian tanker sinks in China sea

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Chinese ships are racing to clean up a massive oil spill after an Iranian tanker sank in the East China Sea. Two ships sprayed chemical agents aimed at dissolving the oil, China Central Television reported on Monday.

The 120-square-kilometer oil slick is thought to be made up of heavy fuel that was used to power the Sanchi tanker, which was carrying 136,000 tons of ultralight crude oil from Iran.

The vessel sank on Sunday, a week after it was set ablaze following a collision with a Chinese cargo ship near Shanghai. Environmental activist group Greenpeace said that the explosion and sinking occurred in “an important spawning ground.”

The 900 foot-long tanker was carrying 136,000 tons — around 1 million barrels — of ultra-light crude oil at the time of the collision. Environmentalists and officials are worried the oil on board and the fuel used to power the massive vessel could harm nearby aquatic life.
“The critical thing is to understand that when we put hydrocarbons into the oceans through events like this, it’s going to affect a wide range of animals,” said Jessica Meeuwig, a professor of biological sciences at the University of Western Australia.

“This work is one of our focuses,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said. “It is also a priority area of our efforts. No one wants to see a large-scale secondary disaster.”He added that the cause of the accident was under investigation.

The Sanchi’s crew of 30 Iranians and two Bangladeshis are all believed to have perished in the incident. The crewmen of CF Crystal, which was carrying grain from the United States to China, were all rescued.

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