Sanchi-Crystal collision first tragedy in 2018 in the new global casualty hotspot

The year has kicked off with another terrible maritime incident. The collision of Iranian oil tanker Sanchi and box ship CF Crystal off the coast of Shanghai appears to have killed some 32 seafarers. The causes of the collision are yet to be ascertained, but it is one in a growing number of incidents in East/South-east Asia waters, now the global casualty hotspot. Partly it’s the sheer volume of traffic, partly the bad weather (although the Straits of Dover is subject to equal, if not greater challenges on both counts) and maybe, just maybe, it’s something to do with safety standards – as this article from MarineLink implies.