China probes Sanchi oil tanker collision and may try to salvage sunken ship
Maritime official says retrieving vessel is best solution to contain environmental damage but it could cause another explosion
China has begun an investigation into the Sanchi oil tanker collision and authorities are looking into the feasibility of salvaging the wrecked ship in a bid to minimise contamination from the spill.
But a maritime official on Friday warned that retrieving the wreckage from a depth of 115 metres at the bottom of the East China Sea – where the Iranian tanker exploded and sank – could cause another explosion.
“The best solution is to organise salvaging of the sunken ship,” Zhi Guanglu, deputy director of the China Maritime Search and Rescue Centre, told reporters. “But the vessel is huge and it could turn out to be an extremely daunting task.”
That task would not begin until rescuers had worked out a clear, viable and safe plan to do so, according to Gong Yongjun, a maritime operations specialist at Dalian Maritime University.
Zhi said maritime authorities would also consult the ship owner, National Iranian Tanker, about the salvage plan.
