Ship sinks in Yangtze, crew saved

Fuel from a ship, which collided with the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge, Jiangsu Province early Sunday, has begun leaking from the stricken vessel but it has not polluted the water, local authorities said Monday.

The ship, Xinchuan 8, was en route from Tongling, Anhui Province to Luoyuan, Fujian Province, laden with 12,500 tons of limestone when it collided with a bridge pier at 4:20 am Sunday. The damage caused the vessel to take on water, according to a report sent by Nanjing Maritime Safety Administration (NMSA) to the Global Times on Monday.

All 18 crew members were rescued by local patrol ships at 4:55 am, just five minutes before the ship sank about 3.5 kilometers downstream from the bridge, the report said.

"No one was seriously injured and none were hospitalized," a staffer surnamed Dai from the NMSA information office told the Global Times.

"The traffic near the scene was blocked for further salvage because the waterways are complicated. The cause of the wreck is under investigation."

Nanjing mayor Ji Jianye attended the scene, asking rescue teams to do whatever they could to secure the safety of drinking water and to ensure the effect of any pollution would be minimized, according to the city's government website Monday.

The scene has been surrounded by oil absorbent booms and materials to clean up the oil spill, said Dai.

An media officer from the Nanjing Party committee confirmed the incident, adding that "the river's water hasn't been affected by the cargo as limestone can be dissolved in water." He would not comment further on the fuel leakage.

The vessel is owned by Rushan Xinchuan Shipping Company based in Weihai, Shandong Province and has a capacity of 12,539 tons. With more large-sized ships on the Yangtze, bridges are facing increasing risks, said the NMSA.

Nanjing has five cross-river bridges, but only two, not including the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge, have installed anti-collision measures. Bridge piers can be protected by a steel and rubber barrier, said Dai.

Authorities confirmed Sunday the 53-year-old bridge is still in good condition.

Following the accident, a rumor spread in Yizheng, a city downstream of Nanjing, that a ship full of crude oil had sunk, which would pollute the city's tap water. Residents flocked to buy bottled water, but the local government quickly moved to quash the rumors.