Iranian Oil Tanker's Black Box to Be Decoded Next Week

Rastad, also the managing director of Ports and Maritime Organization (PMO), said that the voyage data recorder of the Iranian sunken oil tanker has been sealed by the officials to be decoded in the presence of an expert team and concerned officials.

Speaking at a ceremony to commemorate one of the victims of the Sanchi incident on Friday, Rastad asked people to follow the news of Sanchi oil tanker and expert opinions on the issue only through the national media and ignore the rumors of the unjust bodies.

"At the very first moment of the incident we asked for international assistance to rescue the crew members, and the last day, when the necessary measures were taken to find their dead bodies, it became very difficult due to subsequent explosions on the ship.

The Panama-registered Iranian tanker, named Sanchi, that was carrying condensates, collided with a Hong Kong-registered freighter in East China Sea on January 7. One dead body was pulled out from water near the tanker when it was still burning and two other dead bodies plus the black box were recovered by rescue team from the tanker.

The tanker sank a week after the incident, despite all efforts made to save the lives of the crew members. Now it is presumed that all other 30 crew members are dead. Two Bangladeshi nationals were on board the vessel.

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