Japan sees little chance of the oil spill from a stricken Iranian tanker that sank on Sunday in the East China Sea reaching its shores, an official at the nation¡¯s Environment Ministry said on Tuesday.

The large tanker Sanchi sank in the worst oil ship disaster in decades and produced a large oil slick, Chinese media and Japanese authorities said on Monday, as worries grew over damage to the marine ecosystem.

The vessel¡¯s crew of 30 Iranians and two Bangladeshis are all believed to have perished in the incident.