2018年CRI Environmental impact of sunken Iranian oil tanker minimal: experts

 

Chinese authorities are suggesting the environmental impact from the sinking of an Iranian oil tanker¹ off China's east coast this week is likely to be minimal², despite the massive blaze which engulfed³ the Sanchi for over a week before it went down.

The Iranian tanker went down on Sunday, nearly eight days after it collided with a bulk freighter on the evening of January 6th, some 160 nautical⁴ miles east of Shanghai.

The tanker was carrying around 136,000 tons of a light crude oil known as "condensate" to South Korea when the collision took place.

This created a subsequent fire which burned for over a week before an explosion on Sunday morning sealed the ship's fate.

Chinese chemical expert He Wang says the overall impact from the fire has had little effect on the environment.

"When condensate burns, it generates sulfur⁵ dioxide, which is a component⁶ of our air. The actual amount of sulpher in the condensate was around 0.26 percent, which means the ship was only carrying a few hundred tons of sulphide materials. Because it turns into sulfur dioxide, the condensate actually only weighs around only 1,000 tons. This is similar to the emissions⁷ of a power plant over just a few months."

Besides the impact on the atmosphere, pollution affecting the fishing industry is also among the concerns. 

The Zhoushan fishing ground, off the coast of Zhejiang province, is about 350 kilometers from where the tanker sank.

The fishing ground is one of the largest in the East China Sea. And the East China Sea was China's biggest fishing ground in 2016 with a catch of about 5 million tons. 

Chinese maritime⁸ authorities have reported signs of expanding oil spills near the sunken vessel⁹. 

However, experts say most of the condensate, a volatile¹⁰ crude oil, may have been burnt in the fire, while most of the spilled oil will evaporate into the air. 

According to some estimates, a proportion of the spilled condensate will dissolve into the water, and this will be toxic¹¹ until it dilutes¹² enough to be broken down by natural processes. 

The process should be quite quick. 

A chief ship officer says the the contamination is likely to be limited. 

"The condensate will have an initial impact on the livelihood¹³ of fish around the immediate¹⁴ area. However, this is only going to affect aquatic¹⁵ life near the surface. Condensate is light, and evaporates, meaning its not going to go deep into the ocean." 

Despite the minimal effects on the environment, the incident has taken a human toll¹⁶.

All 32 crewmembers aboard the vessel, including 30 Iranians and two from Bangladesh, have been declared dead.

Only three bodies were recovered before the Sanchi went down.

The rest of the crew is believed to have been trapped inside the ship when the fire broke out.

Rescue crews were able to retrieve¹⁷ the tanker's audio voice recorders - the maritime version of a black box.

It's hoped this will provide critical information as to what led to the disaster.f

1 tanker   

n.油轮

参考例句：

• The tanker took on 200,000 barrels of crude oil.油轮装载了二十万桶原油。
• Heavy seas had pounded the tanker into three parts.汹涌的巨浪把油轮撞成三载。

2 minimal   

adj.尽可能少的，最小的

参考例句：

• They referred to this kind of art as minimal art.他们把这种艺术叫微型艺术。
• I stayed with friends, so my expenses were minimal.我住在朋友家，所以我的花费很小。

3 engulfed   

v.吞没，包住( engulf的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was engulfed by a crowd of reporters. 他被一群记者团团围住。
• The little boat was engulfed by the waves. 小船被波浪吞没了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 nautical   

adj.海上的，航海的，船员的

参考例句：

• A nautical mile is 1,852 meters.一海里等于1852米。
• It is 206 nautical miles from our present location.距离我们现在的位置有206海里。

5 sulfur   

n.硫，硫磺（=sulphur）

参考例句：

• Sulfur emissions from steel mills become acid rain.炼钢厂排放出的硫形成了酸雨。
• Burning may produce sulfur oxides.燃烧可能会产生硫氧化物。

6 component   

n.组成部分，成分，元件；adj.组成的，合成的

参考例句：

• Each component is carefully checked before assembly.每个零件在装配前都经过仔细检查。
• Blade and handle are the component parts of a knife.刀身和刀柄是一把刀的组成部分。

7 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

8 maritime   

adj.海的，海事的，航海的，近海的，沿海的

参考例句：

• Many maritime people are fishermen.许多居于海滨的人是渔夫。
• The temperature change in winter is less in maritime areas.冬季沿海的温差较小。

9 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。

10 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

11 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

12 dilutes   

稀释，冲淡( dilute的第三人称单数 )； 削弱，使降低效果

参考例句：

• On the plus side, wind dilutes and scatters air pollutants, and carries pollen. 从好处来说，风能稀释和驱散空气中的污染物质，传播花粉。
• Ubiquity might not be toxic to authenticity, but it certainly dilutes it. 普遍性或许不至于毒害原真性，但确实会削弱它。

13 livelihood   

n.生计，谋生之道

参考例句：

• Appropriate arrangements will be made for their work and livelihood.他们的工作和生活会得到妥善安排。
• My father gained a bare livelihood of family by his own hands.父亲靠自己的双手勉强维持家计。

14 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

15 aquatic   

adj.水生的，水栖的

参考例句：

• Aquatic sports include swimming and rowing.水上运动包括游泳和划船。
• We visited an aquatic city in Italy.我们在意大利访问过一个水上城市。

16 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

17 retrieve   

vt.重新得到，收回；挽回，补救；检索

参考例句：

• He was determined to retrieve his honor.他决心恢复名誉。
• The men were trying to retrieve weapons left when the army abandoned the island.士兵们正试图找回军队从该岛撤退时留下的武器。