Bulk Carrier Aground off Kaohsiung Coast

A 51,208 ton bulk carrier carrying coal bound for a power station in Kaohsiung ran aground yesterday as it approached a docking facility. Attempts to move the vessel at the next high tide failed this morning.

The Maritime and Port Bureau said that yesterday at 5:20pm, August 14, they received a report that a vessel had run aground while approached the coal unloading facility at the Xingda Power Station.

A strong current is said to have hampered the pilot’s ability to maneuver the ship through the channel, causing the bow of the 14.9 meter draught ship to run aground.

The Liberian-registered CLIA loaded with coal from Australia is stuck on a sandy bottom about 500 meters north of the pier, and at the present time there is little risk of an oil spill, officials said. The hull has not been breached.

The ship is carrying 1,400 tons of fuel and a cargo of 88,000 tons of coal.

Six tugs were dispatched in an attempt to tow the vessel at high tide in the early hours of the morning, but the two 4,000 horsepower, and four 3,000 horsepower tugs were unable to free the ship.

Vessel type: Bulk Carrier
Gross tonnage: 51,208 tons
Summer DWT: 92,968 tons
Length: 229 m
Beam: 38 m
Draught: 14.9 m
Home port: Monrovia
Class society: Lloyd’s Shipping Register
Build year: 2012

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