Black Box of Sanchi Oil Tanker Opened

Media in Iran report the opening of the black box of the Sanchi oil tanker and the beginning of its decoding process. ISNA news agency reported on Wednesday (December 25), that the seals on the black box of Sanchi and the Chinese ship Crystal, which collided with it, were opened simultaneously in Shanghai. According to this report, representatives from Iran, China, Panama, and Hong Kong were present during the opening of the black boxes of both ships. Hadi Haqshenas, Deputy for Maritime Affairs of Iran's Ports and Maritime Organization, stated that 'the discussions among the crew members, along with recorded data regarding wind speed, air currents, and technical information about the ship, will be examined to ultimately announce the final opinion of the accident investigation committee.' Mr. Haqshenas also mentioned that the lengthy decoding process is due to the 'encrypted' nature of the black box data. According to the Ports and Maritime Organization, Iranian representatives will attend all decoding sessions of the black box, which is expected to last nearly three months. Another report indicated that Iran's ambassador in London announced the Islamic Republic's request to the International Maritime Organization for a thorough investigation into the dimensions and impacts of the Sanchi incident. Hamid Baidi-Nejad made this request in response to a letter of condolence from the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization regarding the Sanchi incident. He requested that, given the 'catastrophic nature of this incident globally... and to prevent such incidents in the future, this organization should hold a meeting... to examine the impacts of this incident on international navigation and shipping with the aim of preventing such occurrences in the future.' The Sanchi oil tanker, carrying 136,000 tons of gas condensate to South Korea, collided with the bulk carrier CF Crystal on January 6. This oil tanker sank on January 14 after several days of fire and multiple explosions in the East China Sea. All 32 crew members of Sanchi, including 30 Iranians and two Bangladeshi nationals, were killed in this incident. Only the bodies of three crew members have been found. Tasnim news agency previously reported that an underwater search robot is to be sent into the Sanchi oil tanker to gather new information about the last status of the ship and its crew. Meanwhile, Ali Rabiei, Minister of Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare and head of the committee investigating the Sanchi oil tanker, stated: 'Although several robots have been dispatched for photography to the depths of the sea, these robots cannot take photos from inside the cabin.' Mr. Rabiei added that due to the toxic nature of the surrounding environment, 'human resources also cannot enter the ship.'