An underwater robot has found a gaping hole in the hull of the sunken NITC suezmax Sanchi.
The probe located a triangular gash 35 metres long in the 164,000-dwt vessel (built 2008), caused by the collision with a CoscoCS bulker earlier this month, according to China's ministry of transport.
Salvage teams are continuing to try to prevent further leaks from the ship, which was carrying 136,000 tonnes of condensate, a Shanghai port authority source told Yahoo.
The spill has more than trebled in size, with three slicks covering 332m sq km, China's State Oceanic Administration said.
It added that authorities would continue to assess the impact of the spill on the marine environment.
Itopf detects bunker spill
The International Tanker Owner’s Pollution Federation (Itopf) confirmed on Monday it has detected bunker fuel among the spill from the sunken wreck.
But it said it was unable to quantify exactly how much of the current oil slick is made up of Sanchi’s cargo of condensate and how much is bunkers.
While what remains of the condensate is expected to eventually dissipate, the thicker consistency of the tanker’s bunker fuel is posing a pollution risk.
However Itopf said that it believes there is only a limited pollution threat from bunkers because of the distance from shore.
It has been reported that there were around 1,000 tons of fuel oil on board the Sanchi.
All 32 crew from Sanchi were killed in the accident including 30 Iranians.
