Crew of oil tanker carrying 135,000 tonnes of fuel from Iran missing after it burst into flames off coast of East China after crashing with a cargo ship

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Thirty two people are missing and an oil tanker is ablaze after it suffered a devastating crash with a cargo ship off the East China coast.

The tanker, carrying 136,000 tonnes of oil from Iran, caught fire following the collision on Saturday night and is spilling its load into the sea.

Its crew of 30 Iranians and two Bangladeshis remain unaccounted for, China's transport ministry said in a statement.

Thirty two people are missing and an oil tanker is ablaze after it suffered a devastating crash with a cargo ship off the East China coast

The other vessel had been damaged but 'without jeopardising the safety of the ship' and all its 21 Chinese crew had been rescued, it added.

The Panamanian-flagged 899ft oil tanker Sanchi was operated by Iran's Glory Shipping and heading to South Korea with its cargo, when it crashed around 160 nautical miles east of Shanghai.

The second vessel involved was a Hong Kong-flagged cargo ship, the CF Crystal, carrying 64,000 tonnes of grain.

'The Sanchi is still floating and continues to burn, there is oil on the sea surface; search and rescue operations are rushing and underway', the ministry said in a statement.

The Panamanian-flagged tanker 'Sanchi' is seen on fire after a collision with a cargo ship at sea in a photo from the Korea Coast Guard

Chinese maritime authorities have sent eight ships for the search and rescue operation and South Korea has sent a plane and a 3,000-tonne coastguard ship to help.

'Our ship and plane have arrived at the site and are working closely with Chinese maritime authorities,' a coastguard official said.

Iran's Petroleum Ministry said the tanker belongs to the National Iranian Tanker Company and was delivering its cargo to South Korea's Hanwha Total. 

The ship and its cargo were insured, a statement said.