Two Chinese crew onboard to bulk carrier Feng Hui Hai died on Sunday and another is in a critical condition at a hospital in India after inhaling toxic gas from a cargo of coal.

The ship had arrived at Jamnagar port yesterday carrying coal from Indonesia. One crewmember went into the hold on Sunday and was hit by coal gas with another two men sent in to help him.

Investigations into the accident are ongoing in India.

The 63,300 dwt Feng Hui Hai was just delivered to Cosco Shipping Bulk’s fleet by CSSC Huangpu Shipyard in June 2017. </s> Two Chinese nationals died while another one fell seriously ill after an incident of gas leakage on board a cargo ship near Navlakhi Port in Gujarat’s Morbi coast on Sunday.

According to reports, the ship “Feng Hui Ha” had loaded the coal from Indonesia and was on the way to Gujarat’s Navlakhi port for Jamnagar-based Scorpio Shipping Company. Speaking to The Indian Express, Pradip Shejul, Superintendent of police (SP) Jamnagar said, “One of the crew members opened the door of a coal container and he was affected by the gas generated from the coal as it had remained packed for long. Two fellow crew members rushed in to help him but they too were affected by the gas. They were rushed to Jamnagar by a tug where the doctors declared two of them as brought dead while the third one is undergoing treatment.”

According to reports, all the crew members on board were Chinese nationals and the ship was around 25 nautical miles away from Navlakhi Port when the incident took place. “We have contacted the agent who had imported the coal consignment and once he reaches Jamnagar, we shall get further details of the crew and the incident. As the crew was affected by gas leakage they were brought to Jamnagar which is the nearest tertiary care centre.” the SP told IE.

All the three crew members were taken to a local state government-run hospital, GG General Hospital in Jamnagar where the doctors declared two of them brought dead while the third person was having respiratory issues and is under treatment. “We don’t know much details of the incident but two bodies were brought to our hospital along with a third one who is in stable condition. The patient has some respiratory issues and since he doesn’t have any relatives around, he is in our care,” said Dr Nandini Mehta, medical superintendent of GG hospital to PTI.

The police is investigating the incident. “We are investigating the incident. The ship is still in sea,” the SP told to news agency PTI. The trio were identified as Zhang Baohai (55), Dong Kui (32), and Sun Yingdong. </s> TWO CHINESE sailors were killed and at least one more was taken ill in an incident of gas leakage on board a cargo vessel off Navlakhi port in Morbi on Sunday. Police said the incident took place in a cargo vessel loaded with coal. The ship flying the Indonesian flag had loaded coal from Indonesia and was bound for Navlakhi port on Morbi coast.

“One of the crew members opened door of a coal container and he was affected by gas generated from the coal as it had remained packed for long. Two fellow crew members rushed to help him but they too were affected by the gas. They were rushed to Jamnagar by a tug. But doctors declared two of them dead on arrival, while the third one is undergoing treatment,” Jamnagar SP Pradip Shejul said.

The SP said that the cargo vessel had an all-Chinese crew. “We have contacted the agent who had imported the coal consignment and once he reaches Jamnagar, we shall know further details of the crew and the incident,” added Shejul. He said that the vessel was anchored around 25 nautical miles off Navlakhi port less than 24 hours ago and was in the process of offloading its cargo.

“Two bodies were brought to our hospital along with a patient. The patient has some respiratory issues,” said Dr Nandini Mehta, medical superintendent of G G hospital, Jamnagar.

For all the latest India News, download Indian Express App </s> Two Chinese sailors were killed and one more took ill in a gas leak incident on board a cargo vessel off Navlakhi port in Morbi on Sunday.

The ship had loaded the coal from Indonesia and was bound for Navlakhi port on Morbi coast. “One of the crew members opened the door of a coal container and he was affected by the gas generated from the coal as it had remained packed for long. Two fellow crew members rushed in to help him but they too were affected by the gas. They were rushed to Jamnagar by a tug where the doctors declared two of them as brought dead while the third one is undergoing treatment,” Jamnagar Superintendent of police (SP) Pradip Shejul told The Indian Express.

The SP said that the cargo vessel had an all-Chinese crew. “We have contacted the agent who had imported the coal consignment and once he reaches Jamnagar, we shall get further details of the crew and the incident,” added Shejul.

He said that the vessel was anchored around 25 nautical miles off Navlakhi port and was in the process of offloading its cargo. “As the crew was affected by gas leakage they were brought to Jamnagar which is the nearest tertiary care centre,” said Shejul.

The three were taken to state government-run GG General Hospital in Jamnagar. “We don’t know much details of the incident but two bodies were brought to our hospital along with a third one who is in stable condition. The patient has some respiratory issues and since he doesn’t have any relatives around, he is in our care,” said Dr Nandini Mehta, medical superintendent of GG hospital.

The SP further added that the vessel had dropped anchor off Navlakhi port less than 24 hours ago and was waiting to be tugged into the port for offloading the coal consignment.

Major consignments of imported coal land in Navlakhi port, the coal is largely consumed by the ceramic tiles industry of Morbi district.

For all the latest India News, download Indian Express App </s> There are fears of an environmental disaster in the East China Sea as a tanker continues to leak oil two days after colliding with a cargo ship. Chinese officials have told state media the vessel is in danger of exploding and sinking.

Rescuers attempting to reach the site were being beaten back by toxic clouds, the transportation ministry has said. The crew, 30 Iranians and two Bangladeshis, remain missing despite international rescue efforts. The extent of the spill and environmental hazard are still unclear. The vessel was still ablaze on Monday morning.

The tanker had been carrying an ultra-light form of oil known as condensate which in the case of a spill can be more dangerous for the environment than regular crude. “Condensate is more likely to evaporate and mix in with the water,” John Driscoll of JTD Energy Services told the BBC. “It also can be colour- and odourless – so it is a lot harder to detect, contain and clean up.”

Though Panama-registered, the tanker Sanchi belongs to an Iranian company. The Sanchi was carrying 136,000 tonnes of Iranian oil when the vessel collided with a Chinese cargo ship on Saturday night, 165 nautical miles east of Shanghai.

The 21-strong crew of the Chinese ship were rescued. China has sent several ships to carry out search-and-rescue operations while South Korea helped with a coast guard ship and a helicopter. The US Navy had also sent a military aircraft to help with the rescue efforts. </s> An Iranian oil tanker that has been ablaze for almost a week after colliding with a cargo ship off the coast of China today sank with no hopes of finding any survivors among the 32 crew members.

The 274-meter-long Sanchi, carrying 136,000 tonnes of light crude oil from Iran to South Korea, had been burning since colliding with the CF Crystal, a Hong Kong-registered bulk freighter, about 300 kms east of the Yangtze River estuary on on January 6.

China’s State Oceanic Administration (SOA) said in a statement that it detected fires and dense black smoke in a large area around the Panama-registered oil tanker at around 10 am (local time) today and the entire ship sank at around 3 pm.

A large amount of spilled oil is still burning on the surface around the site, the SOA said.

The administration said it will monitor the oil spills and evaluate the accident’s impact on the marine environment, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Iran announced that all the ship’s 32 crew members -30 Iranians and two Bangladeshis were presumed dead, according to Iranian state media.

Only three bodies have been recovered so far.

“There is no hope of finding survivors among the members of the crew,” Mohammad Rastad, spokesman for the Iranian rescue team, told Iran’s state broadcaster in Tehran before the tanker went down.

“Despite our efforts, it has not been possible to extinguish the fire and recover the bodies due to repeated explosions and gas leaks,” he said.

Chinese maritime authorities had launched a search and rescue operation for the 30 Iranian and two Bangladeshi crew onboard the Sanchi.

All 21 Chinese crew members on the bulk freighter were rescued.

Environment experts had expressed fear that the accident could create a massive environmental disaster and kill off marine life across a wide area.

For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App </s> The front section of an Iranian oil tanker that has been on fire for days off the east China coast has exploded, forcing rescue boats searching for 31 missing sailors to retreat and sparking environmental concerns.

Thirty-two crew members, including 30 Iranians and two Bangladeshis, went missing after the tanker carrying 136,000 tonnes of oil condensate from Iran to South Korea collided with a Hong Kong-registered bulk freighter and caught fire on Saturday in waters about 160 sea miles east of the Yangtze River’s estuary.

Since then, the Panama-registered tanker Sanchi has been ablaze and drifting in the waters between Shanghai and southern Japan.

So far, no survivors from the tanker have been found and only one body has been recovered. All 21 crew members aboard the Chinese ship were rescued.

The front section of the tanker exploded on Wednesday.

“Vessels at the scene have to stop putting out the fire and withdraw back to (a safe distance),” China’s ministry of transport said. “The fire extinguishing operation did not achieve the desired effect,” it said.

China’s largest patrol ship Haixun 01 is fighting the fire after the explosion while organising other vessels to move away, the ministry said.

According to the ministry, Japanese sea police arrived at the scene an hour before the explosion and established contact with Haixun 01.

China’s Ministry of Foreign affairs said on Wednesday that 12 vessels were searching for the missing sailors in the tanker’s vicinity before the explosion, and efforts were continuing to clean up any spilled light crude.

Since the crash, the tanker has been billowing thick plumes of black smoke. Officials worry that the explosion might sink the ship, releasing its 1 million barrels of oil into the water.

The resulting spill would be about three times as big as the Exxon Valdez spill of 1989, one of the worst environmental disasters in history.

“For now, burning might be good for consuming the leaked oil, but there will be some remaining for which disposal will be difficult,” Lin Boqiang, director of the China Centre for Energy Economics Research at Xiamen University, told the Global Times.

Sanchi was carrying 1.36 lakh tons of condensate oil when it collided with CF Crystal, a Hong Kong-registered bulk freighter in waters about 160 nautical miles east of the Yangtze River estuary.

Experts are especially worried because the ship is carrying condensate, an ultralight version of crude oil. Condensate is highly toxic and even more combustible than regular crude oil. It also is nearly colourless and odourless, which makes it difficult to detect.

Oil is usually not degradable, meaning the damage to the ocean would be long-term, he said.

Zhao Ruxiang, an expert with China’s Yantai Oil Spill Response Technical Centre, was quoted by the ministry as saying that a simulation test showed condensate oil in the water can evaporate so quickly that it will leave little residue - less than 1 percent after five hours.

“It is toxic and volatile when exposed to air,” Zhao said. </s> Beijing (CNN) An oil tanker that collided with a freight ship off the east coast of China was still on fire Monday and at risk of exploding, Chinese authorities said.

The Shanghai Maritime Bureau said Monday morning the vessel and leaked cargo were burning furiously and that fumes were hampering rescue efforts. It said that experts believed there was a risk the vessel could explode and sink.

"The poisonous gas ... is very harmful to rescue workers in the field."

Thirty Iranians and two Bangladeshi citizens went missing from the Panama-registered tanker SANCHI after the collision Saturday. Lu Kang, a spokesman for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Monday that one body had been found by search-and-rescue teams but the person's identity hadn't been confirmed.

"The environment and the conditions on the ground are not very favorable for search-and-rescue work and some crew members are still missing, Lu said.

Read More </s> BEIJING -- The fire from a sunken Iranian tanker ship in the East China Sea has burned out, a Chinese transport ministry spokesman said Monday, although concerns remain about possible major pollution to the sea bed and surrounding waters.

The spokesman, who identified himself only by his surname, Zhao, said the fire ceased around noon. Earlier footage showed huge clouds of thick smoke rising from the oil slick that had been burning for more than a week.

Just three bodies from the tanker Sanchi's crew of 32, composed of 30 Iranians and two Bangladeshis, have been recovered.

The cause of the Jan. 6 collision between the Sanchi and the Chinese freighter CF Crystal, which happened 160 miles east of Shanghai, remains unclear. All 21 crewmembers aboard the freighter were reported safe.

Rescuers boarded the Sanchi on Saturday morning to recover two bodies, but a large explosion shook the ship around noon on Sunday and it sank within hours. High temperatures had prevented rescuers from entering the crew quarters. Another body was recovered from the water earlier last week.

The ship was carrying a type of hydrocarbon liquid known as natural gas condensate and left a 3.8-square-mile area contaminated with oil, according to Chinese authorities. Condensate is highly toxic but readily evaporates or burns off in a fire. If trapped underwater, however, it could seriously harm the marine environment, while the ship's fuel source also poses a major threat.

The ship's voice data recorder, which functions like a "black box" on aircraft, was reportedly recovered on Saturday, possibly helping shed light on how the collision and resulting fire occurred.

Zhao, who is deputy head of the ministry's press office, said new photos and video footage showed the fire had gone out entirely and said an investigation into the disaster would be conducted according to the "strictest international standards."

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said rescue operations had been converted at noon to a search-and-recovery effort. Two ships were on the scene spraying foam detergents to dissolve oil remaining on the surface.

Ma Jun, director of the private Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs in Beijing, said the degree of environmental damage caused by the disaster depends on how much fuel was left in the tanker and the direction of winds and currents.

"The key issue is how much exactly the condensate oil has been left after all the burning and explosion, and how much of that sank together to the bottom of the sea," Ma said. "We need to keep an eye to prevent (toxins) being transferred to the fishing ground."

The disaster has transfixed an Iran still reeling from days of protests and unrest that swept the country at the start of the year.

Families of the sailors wept and screamed at the headquarters of the National Iranian Tanker Co. in Tehran, the company that owns the Sanchi. Some needed to be taken by ambulance to nearby hospitals as they were so overwhelmed by the news.

State TV earlier quoted Mahmoud Rastad, the chief of Iran's maritime agency, as saying: "There is no hope of finding survivors among the (missing) 29 members of the crew."

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei both expressed their condolences, with Rouhani calling on relevant government agencies to investigate the tragedy and take any necessary legal measures. The government also announced Monday as a nationwide day of public mourning over the disaster.

Chinese officials blamed poor weather for complicating their rescue efforts. Thirteen ships, including one from South Korea and two from Japan, had joined in the rescue and cleanup effort.

The Panamanian-flagged, 85,462-ton tanker has operated under five different names since it was built in 2008, according to the U.N.-run International Maritime Organization and the industry website Maritime Traffic.

It's the second collision for a ship from the National Iranian Tanker Co. in less than a year and a half. 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.
Two Chinese crewmen aboard MV Feng Hui Hai are overcome by coal gas in Jamnagar, India after a voyage from Indonesia. Another crewman is hospitalised.