After burning for a week on open water, an Iranian tanker that was carrying 136,000 tons of oil finally sunk into a part of the Pacific Ocean caught in a territorial tug-of-war between China and Japan.The resulting oil spill has nearly grown to the size of Paris. The world, however, may never know its full impact, according to experts.The Iranian tanker, the Sanchi, collided with a Chinese grain-carrying freighter on Jan. 6 in the contested East China Sea and caused an explosion that killed all 32 crew members. Some of the fuel burned off during the week the tanker stood flaming on the water’s surface. Just how much made it into the ocean, though, is anybody’s guess. So far, neither Japan nor China has taken charge of the clean-up or assessing the damage. To make matters worse, the Sanchi sunk on Jan. 14, burying much of the evidence deep underwater.“I've not heard anyone — not the government of China or the government of Japan — have told me that they're conducting a major environmental evaluation,” said Richard Steiner, an oil spill and environmental specialist who’s advised countries like the U.S., Lebanon, New Zealand, and Japan as well as the United Nations. “As the regional governments never conducted a comprehensive monitoring program, we will never really know the impacts of this disaster.”Neither the Chinese nor Japanese governments responded to a request for comment.Continue reading on VICE NEWS.