TEHRAN - OPEC Secretary General Mohammed Sanusi Barkindo offered his condolences on the sad incident of the sunken Iranian oil tanker 'Sanchi' and demise of its crew members, Shana reported on Saturday.

“I would like to convey my sincere condolences and sympathy on the tragic and sad loss of life of 32 crew members of the Iranian oil tanker Sanchi, which sank so tragically in the East China Sea”, Barkindo wrote to Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh.

OPEC secretary general also expressed sympathy with the victims' families and Iranian nation and added, “I stand by Iranian people in such painful moments.” 

The Sanchi, carrying 136,000 tons of light crude oil from Iran, sank seven days after colliding with the CF Crystal on January 6, a Hong Kong-registered bulk freighter, some 300 kilometers east of Shanghai.

EF/MA