CF Crystal Blamed for Sanchi’s Collision

Hong Kong-flagged cargo ship CF Crystal was the causal factor of the collision with the Iran-owned oil tanker Sanchi, 160 nautical miles off the coast of Shanghai, China, on January 6, said the head of the Iranian committee involved in the joint investigation of the disaster.
Speaking at a press conference at Iran's Ports and Maritime Organization on Saturday, Nader Pasandeh said, "The black boxes of both vessels have been examined and reveal that the CF Crystal changed course barely 15 minutes before the collision."
He added that "the alteration of CF Crystal's course prior to the collision resulted in the disaster."
CF Crystal's first officer has admitted in an interview that he had started to adjust the course with the intention to go back to their planned passage minutes before the collision.
 "My vessel was deviated from the port of the planned passage at that time," he said.