Tokyo/Beijing — A stricken Iranian tanker that sank in the East China Sea on Sunday in the worst oil-ship disaster in decades has produced a large oil slick, say Chinese media and Japanese authorities, amid mounting fear of damage to the marine ecosystem. The tanker Sanchi had been adrift and ablaze after crashing into the freighter CF Crystal on January 6. Strong winds had pushed it away from the Chinese coast, where the incident happened, and into Japan’s exclusive economic zone. The Japan Coast Guard said oil spread over an area 13km long and 11km wide, although it said the slick was shrinking as patrol boats battled to contain it. The coast guard said the fire on the sea surface was put out at about 2am GMT on Monday, although according to other authorities and Chinese state TV CCTV black smoke continued to billow from the site of the sinking for several more hours. A clean-up effort has begun and rescue teams have called a halt to the large-scale search for survivors, reducing ...
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