Sanchi black box opened amid hopes for collision data
Iranian officials say the black box for an ill-fated tanker that sank off China’s shores last week after a collision with a Chinese cargo ship has been opened amid hopes that it could contain vital information about the cause of the tragedy that claimed the lives of 30 Iranian crew members.
Officials from China, Iran, Panama and Hong Kong were present when the black box of Sanchi – as well as that of freighter CF Crystal with which it collided – were opened in Shanghai, Iran’s Consulate General in Shanghai Alireza Irvash was quoted as saying by the media.
Panama was present at the meeting because Sanchi was carrying the country’s flag. The fact that the collision occurred off China’s shores and that most of the casualties were Iranian also justified the presence of representatives from Beijing and Tehran. An official from Hong Kong was present because CF Crystal was carrying the country’s flag, Iran’s media reported.
The black boxes of both vessels were opened in front of the representatives of the concerned countries and in front of the cameras.
Iran’s Consulate General in Shanghai Irvash added that an interpretation of the data in the boxes would be presented to the concerned parties once deciphered.
This, however, could take time and it could even require months, Iran’s Tasnim news agency quoted him as saying.
The Sanchi was run by Iran’s top oil shipping operator - the National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC). It collided with the CF Crystal about 296 kilometers off the coast of China near Shanghai and the mouth of the Yangtze River Delta on January 6, 2018.
The tanker was sailing from Iran to South Korea, carrying 136,000 tonnes of condensate, an ultra light crude, equivalent to just under 1 million barrels, worth about $60 million.
It eventually sank on January 14, 2018 after burning for several days. The entire crew of 30 Iranians as well as two Bangladeshis are presumed all dead.
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