Eish.

Starting off the year on a very messy foot, tonnes of oil has spilled into the East China Sea after an Iranian tanker crashed into a freighter carrying grain on January 6.

That was more than a week ago.

But on Sunday, following a week of burning, the Sanchi sank after a huge blast “sent up a great plume of black smoke and set the surface of the water on fire,” reports NY Times.

Although the bodies of three crew members were recovered, the remaining 29 were presumed dead and sunk with the ship.

But now, the oil slick from the sunken tanker is growing in size, and environmentalists are concerned as it is a threat to the sea and bird life found in the waterway.

Here’s footage of the slick on fire:

Carrying 136 000 tonnes of highly flammable fuel oil, there are now “two huge slicks covering 52 square miles, compared with just four square miles the previous day”:

Strong winds were pushing the spill toward Japan, away from China, and it was now less than 200 miles from Naha, Japan.

One concern is that, since the Sanchi sank, marine life will be endangered by the fuel oil’s spreading instead of burning off. And experts are further concerned that the even dirtier bunker fuel powering the tanker will be released into the sea, exposing delicate marine life to the extremely toxic substance.

Greenpeace expressed alarm about the threat to the marine ecosystem in the East China Sea, which is one of the world’s most heavily trafficked waterways, saying the disaster occurred in “an important spawning ground” for fish.

“At this time of year the area is used as wintering ground by common edible species such as hairtail, yellow croaker, chub mackerel and blue crab,” Greenpeace said. “The area is also on the migratory pathway of many marine mammals, such as humpback whale, right whale and gray whale.”

On its way to South Korea when the crash took place, the Sanchi was registered in Panama and run by Iran’s largest oil shipping operator.

Now, it will know be known as for the cause of the largest tanker spill since 1991:

Here’s a closer look at what went down during the week it was on fire:

This is the second collision in less than a year and a half for the National Iranian Tanker Co. which is not a good look at all, reports CBS News:

In August 2016, one of its tankers collided with a Swiss container ship in the Singapore Strait, damaging both ships but causing no injuries or oil spill.

It’s times like these when one realises how important a good logistical team at a shipping company is.

Ask Seth, because when it comes to his Malawi Cane business he doesn’t mess around.

One local freight company with the expertise and buying power to get the best rates from A-rated underwriters is locally-based Berry & Donaldson. They ensure the best possible cargo cover for their clients at cost effective prices.

Of course that’s just a tiny part of what they do, because it really is a one stop shop for everything shipping related.

Between this and the nurdles, I can’t even cope.

Let’s just hope the oil spill doesn’t get too out of control and authorities are able to manage it.

[source:nytimes&cbsnews]