Oil Pollution from Sanchi Incident is Expanding

The oil pollution from the Iranian tanker accident in East Asia is expanding, and it is expected that oil slicks will reach the shores of Japan's main islands and the southern peninsula of Korea in the coming weeks. Estimates suggest that the oil leak from the Sanchi incident is unprecedented in the last 35 years. Despite this unprecedented incident in four decades, the environmental consequences are not yet clearly defined, and analysts have various views on the upcoming weeks. The Sanchi tanker, in addition to its fuel for the journey from Iran to South Korea, was carrying one million barrels of gas condensate. Gas condensate refers to a liquid hydrocarbon flow, consisting of pentane and heavier hydrocarbons, which is heavier than butane and remains liquid under atmospheric conditions. Gas condensate is considered a valuable product extracted from gas reservoirs. The tanker accident resulted in the deaths of 30 Iranian sailors and two Bangladeshi sailors. A significant portion of the gas condensate that catches fire usually either burns or evaporates. After the accident for vessels carrying this substance, the likelihood of a thick slick remaining, similar to similar disasters involving heavy oil cargoes, is low. The environmental watchdog organization 'Greenpeace' states that, however, separating condensate from seawater is much more difficult because it is lighter, has no specific color, and some of it dissolves. Reuters reports that estimates published by the British National Oceanography Centre indicate that the Sanchi pollution will reach the shores of Japan in the next three weeks; 'simulations show that the pollution may cover a much larger area compared to initial predictions and may spread at a much faster rate.' The weekly 'Chemical and Engineering News,' published by the American Chemical Society, stated in its latest issue that the environmental consequences of the Sanchi disaster are still not clearly assessable. Jang Sang-kim, a biology professor at the National University of Seoul in South Korea, told this publication, 'If more gas condensate has leaked from the tanker, the consequences will be much more severe.' John Gacy, a university professor in Canada, predicts that the sediment of condensate in the marine environment will be less than current concerns. According to Professor Gacy, if the slicks do not reach the shores, the consequences for beaches and marshes will be much less; that is, areas that are harder to clean and take more time. After the Sanchi incident, over 70 Chinese vessels were sent to an area of 330 kilometers to begin cleanup operations. If the pollution reaches the shores of Japan and Korea, more countries and vessels may join the cleanup operations.