Oil found on southern Japanese islands is highly likely to have come from the sunken suezmax Sanchi, the Japanese coast guard has said.
Samples of oily matter were taken on 8 February from the shores of the Okinoerabu and Yoron islands.
The 2008-built NITC tanker sank on 14 January following a fire caused by a collision with a bulker off China.
It was carrying 136,000 tonnes of condensate, most of which is through to have evaporated.
But it also had bunkers on board.
