BEIJING: China today dismissed as "untrue and irresponsible" the criticism that it made inadequate efforts to save 32 crew members who died after an Iranian oil tanker exploded and sank nearly a week after colliding with a cargo ship off the coast of China.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said at a daily press briefing that China mobilised nine vessels on the day the accident happened and there had been more than 13 rescue vessels at the scene from the second day.
Rescue forces from Shanghai and Jiangsu worked with Japan and South Korea in the rescue operations, Lu said.
The 274-meter-long Sanchi sunk on Sunday after burning for more than a week following a collision with a Hong Kongregistered tanker. All 32 members of its crew -- 30 Iranians and two Bangladeshis -- are believed dead.
Operated by Iran’s National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC), the vessel was taking 136,000 tonnes of light crude oil condensate to South Korea.
Iranian Merchant Mariners Syndicate, an industry NGO, had written to Chinese authorities expressing frustration at the lack of progress in putting out the fire.
"It was clear that the Chinese are not cooperating enough,” IMMS vice president Saman Rezaie had said.
China’s state-run Xinhua news agency, however, reported that an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said that it is "not true" to say that China had not made adequate efforts when faced with such a complex accident and that China had provided the utmost cooperation to Iran during the process.
"The remarks from the Iranian side shows that the claims of an inadequate rescue are untrue and irresponsible," Lu said.
The entire ship sank on Sunday. No burning was seen on sea surface from a marine surveillance plane at about 1 pm Monday and the oil spill could be easily seen from the air, the Xinhua report said
Lu said China welcomes Iran to join in the investigation of the accident, and will facilitate visas for the families of the crew.