Oil spill in the China Sea: oil reached the islands of Japan

mybestnews (2)in #pollution • 6 years ago

Two months after the sinking of the oil tanker Sanchi in the China Sea, the experts draw up a first inventory.
From Juliette Heuzebroc

On 6 January, following a collision with a bulk carrier (cargo ship) off Shanghai, the Iranian oil tanker Sanchi caught fire and drifted for nearly a week before sinking off the Ryukyu archipelago. The tanker had a crew of 32 on board. None of them survived.

The Sanchi carried 110,000 tons of condensates, light hydrocarbons that are akin to a lighter oil than its raw form. The condensate comes from the gas present in the oil wells, which liquefies when extracted in contact with atmospheric pressure. It is difficult to measure the true impact of water contamination, as discharges of condensates into the seas and oceans never exceeded 1,000 tons before this incident. According to Richard Steiner, a specialist in oil spills, this is the "biggest rejection of condensates in the nature of the entire history of oil."

Two months after the sinking of the tanker, the experts perceive the main consequences of the disaster. While the latter can not be considered as an oil spill in the strict sense of the term, since this term concerns crude oil spills, it has many impacts. The lightness of this type of hydrocarbon greatly favors its propagation in water, in this case over 330 km².

By its composition, the condensate did not fall into the seabed but evaporated in the air, generating air pollution of a magnitude never encountered in this kind of events. Condensate evaporation has never been studied on such a scale. The consequences on the biosphere are undeniable. It is mainly surface species such as sea turtles or seabirds that will suffer from the inhalation of this highly toxic or even deadly substance.

In addition, a few weeks after the end of the fire, oil waves reached the coast of 16 islands in southern Japan. This mud, much less dense and heavy than that which can be observed during a classic oil spill, is very toxic for the fauna and flora of beaches. More than 90 tons of material have already been harvested on the coast.

The main reason for this incident is the unprecedented level of condensate contamination. Several experts expressed less concern than during a spill of crude oil but the impossibility of assessing the long-term consequences on the environment, precisely because the event is new, prevents the authorities from acting preventively and effective.

Another worry: in the days following the sinking, several Chinese fishing vessels continued their activity in the area. The risk of recovering condensate in the food chain of the region is therefore very high.

Source: http://www.nationalgeographic.fr/environnement/2018/03/maree-noire-en-mer-de-chine-le-petrole-atteint-les-iles-du-japon

( @alphawhale )