IMO Commemorates Sanchi Victims

International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary-General Kitack Lim visited the Islamic Republic of Iran to participate  in a ceremony to commemorate seafarers who lost their lives aboard the Iranian-owned oil tanker Sanchi earlier this year.

He visited Iran also to participate in the country's national celebration of World Maritime Day (8 September) and met met the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Mohammad Javad Zarif.

Early this year, he issued a statement sympathizing with victims of Iranian vessel collision near China shore.

Sanchi, an Iranian tanker carrying condensates collided with a Chinese freight ship in East China coast on January 6. After eight days of burning, the tanker finally sank on January 14.

All the 32 crew members, who had gone missing from the very beginning of the incident, were reported dead.

 The tanker Sanchi, run by Iran’s top oil shipping operator, National Iranian Tanker Co, had collided with the CF Crystal, carrying grain from the United States, about 160 nautical miles (300 km) off China’s coast near Shanghai.

The Sanchi was carrying 136,000 tonnes of condensate, equivalent to about 1 million barrels and worth some $60 million.