Seven days on, Iranian oil tanker still ablaze in the East China Sea

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It has been seven days, yet the Panama-registered oil tanker Sanchi is still on fire in the East China Sea. The "toxic air from burning, and bad weather conditions" have made the rescue even harder, according to officials from the Shanghai Maritime Bureau. More than 15 vessels have been engaged in rescue work so far. However, the cause of the explosion remains unknown.

Below is a brief review of the timeline of events.

Jan. 13: Two more bodies found, Sanchi remains on fire

Two more bodies of the crew members were found after four rescuers got on board the vessel on Saturday, according to Shanghai Maritime Search and Rescue Center. A total of three corpses have been discovered up to this point.

Jan. 12: Bad weather complicates the rescue

Shanghai Maritime Bureau said that there was still a large fire on Sanchi, and it was likely to explode and sink. Deputy Director of the bureau Xie Qunwei said Chinese rescuers braved grave danger in approaching the tanker, given the fact that the air from the burning is toxic and bad weather conditions have complicated the rescue.

Chinese firefighting vessel "Donghaijiu 117" spraying foam on the burning oil tanker "Shanchi" at sea off the coast of eastern China. /VCG Photo

Jan. 10: Blast happens

China's Ministry of Transport said Wednesday that a blast happened after rescue crews were trying to put out the fire with foam.

Jan. 9: No 'large-scale oil leak'

The Chinese government said late Tuesday it had not found a "large-scale" oil leak, and the condensate was burning off or evaporating so fast that it would leave little residue.

Jan. 8: First body found

The body of a Sanchi crew member was found Monday in the water near the tanker.

Jan. 7: Sanchi crew members missing

According to China's MOT's Sunday statement, Sanchi's 32 crew members, including 30 Iranians and two Bangladeshis, had gone missing. The bulk freighter CF Crystal's totaling 21 crew members, all Chinese nationals, had been rescued. The ministry also stated that Sanchi was still floating and burning, and the oil on board spilled into the sea, without specifying the area of contamination.

Jan. 6: The crash‍

The Sanchi was carrying 136,000 tonnes of oil (worth 60 million US dollars) from Iran to S. Korea when it ran into the CF Crystal, a Hong Kong-registered bulk freighter carrying grain from the US. The crash occurred about 160 nautical miles east of the Yangtze River estuary in Shanghai on Jan. 6.