There is no chance any crew members had survived among the 32 aboard an Iranian oil tanker that was still blazing a week after the ship collided with a bulk freighter and caught fire off China’s east coast.

"There is no hope of finding survivors among the members of the crew," ISNA quoted Mohammad Rastad, head of Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization, as saying. "Two-thirds of the tanker was now under water," he added.

The Sanchi, carrying 136,000 tons of light crude oil from Iran, has been in flames since colliding with the CF Crystal, a Hong Kong-registered bulk freighter, 160 nautical miles east of Shanghai on January 6.

"Despite our efforts, it has not been possible to extinguish the fire and recover the bodies due to repeated explosions and gas leaks," he said, AFP reported.

"Two-thirds of the tanker is submerged, and the fire has spread to the entirety of the ship, and we can no longer approach it," he added.