Environment

Tugboat racing against typhoon after Chinese cargo ship abandoned by crew off Taiwan’s north coast

Cargo ship at anchor off New Taipei City coast
Marine and Fisheries 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , , ,

A Chinese cargo ship was abandoned by its crew less than one kilometer from the coast of northern Taiwan last night, and has been left at anchor as a typhoon approaches the island today, October 30. The platform cargo ship Yuzhou Qihang left Keelung Harbor at around 8:00 am yesterday, in an attempt to cross the Taiwan Strait ahead of the approaching Typhoon Kong-rey. However, the top-heavy vessel, loaded with three massive bridge cranes, failed to make headway in high

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Three crew members from sunken cargo ship found alive, 1 dead, 5 still missing

surviving crew members speaking to coast guard officer
Marine and Fisheries 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

Three crew members from a cargo ship that sank off the coast of southern Taiwan were found alive on shore yesterday, and a body found on a beach was confirmed to be the captain of the ship. The Tanzanian-flagged Fu Shun sent a distress call after listing in heavy seas and winds generated by Typhoon Gaemi at around 5:30 am yesterday, July 25. According to Taiwan’s National Coast Guard Administration, the crew of nine Myanmar nationals abandoned ship before it

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Typhoon Gaemi sinks 1 ship, forces 3 aground in southern Taiwan: 9 sailors missing

Indonesian freighter "Iriana" aground in southern Taiwan
Marine and Fisheries 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

Nine Myanmar nationals are missing after a ship capsized and sank off Taiwan’s southern coast, and three other vessels have run aground in sea and wind conditions affected by Typhoon Gaemi since yesterday, July 24. According to Taiwan’s National Coast Guard Administration, the Tanzanian-flagged freighter Fu Shun capsized and sank around 19 nautical miles off the coast of Kaohsiung City at around 6:30 am this morning. The crew of nine Myanmar nationals are suspected to have fallen into the sea

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Cargo ship explosion and fire injures 3: crew abandons ship in south Taiwan waters

cargo ship on fire after explosion
Marine and Fisheries 
Phillip Charlier 1 Comment , , , ,

Three injured crew members were airlifted from a burning cargo ship after an explosion, and the rest of the crew abandoned ship in waters south of Taiwan earlier today, June 12. According to reports, an explosion occurred on the Taiwanese-flagged general cargo ship HUI FENG around 17 nautical miles offshore of the south embankment of the Port of Kaohsiung at around 8:00 am. Among the crew of 12, three people were injured, two seriously. The two seriously injured crew members

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Oil tanker damaged after hitting Kaohsiung Harbor breakwater

damaged hull of oil tanker
Marine and Fisheries 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

An oil tanker was forced to return to Kaohsiung Harbor for repairs after hitting an offshore breakwater while attempting to depart, Saturday, June 8. The Kaohsiung Port office of Taiwan International Ports Corporation said that the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) oil tanker, TONG YUN, departed Kaohsiung Second Harbor at 1:10 pm, but collided with the offshore embankment while exiting the port. The starboard side of the ship sustained serious damage, and the concrete breakwater was also damaged. A preliminary

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Cargo ship aground and leaking oil in Penghu Islands

oil spill in foreground, stranded ship in background
Marine and Fisheries 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

Coast guard and environmental protection agency personnel are cleaning up and attempting to prevent spreading of an oil spill after a 499-ton cargo ship ran aground on Jibei Island in the Penghu archipelago. According to Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration, the Cameroonian-flagged general cargo ship, Hai Shou, en route from the Port of Kaohsiung to Busan, Korea, lost power and began drifting on Saturday, December 16. Attempts were made to anchor the ship, but strong winds caused the ship to continue

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Freighter catches fire at Port of Kaohsiung: one crewman rescued from water

burning ship with water canon focused on flames
Marine and Fisheries 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

The crew of a Cameroonian bulk carrier fled, and at least one man was forced to jump into the water, after a fire broke out on the ship while it was under repairs at a wharf in the Port of Kaohsiung, yesterday, September 13. Kaohsiung City Fire department received reports of a fire at the Jong Shyn Shipbuilding terminal at 3:54 pm. Video footage from the scene showed fierce flames and thick black smoke emanating from the cabin and rear

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Leatherback sea turtle dies after ingesting fishing line

stranded leatherback sea turtle
Animals Marine and Fisheries 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , , ,

Hengchun, Taiwan – A leatherback turtle found stranded on the coast of Pingtung County in southern Taiwan in July died of starvation due to fishing line stuck in its digestive tract, an autopsy revealed. Taiwan’s Ocean Affairs Council released autopsy results indicating that the cause of death was necrotizing enteritis, as the turtle’s stomach was empty, and its intestinal tract contained a total of 425 centimeters of fishing line. This obstruction led to folding and twisting in the lower digestive

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Oil spill from sunken freighter contaminates popular bathing beach in southern Taiwan

tourists affected by oil spill on beach
Marine and Fisheries 
Phillip Charlier 1 Comment , , , ,

Beachgoers at Cijin Beach in Kaohsiung City yesterday were affected by an oil slick suspected to have come from a container ship that sank off the coast more than one month ago. Kaohsiung City Councilor Lina Chen was hosting an event promoting the wearing of lifejackets while beach bathing at around 3:00 pm when participants began reporting that they were affected by oil in the water and on the sand. Chen informed the Kaohsiung City Tourism Bureau and the Maritime

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Tugboat sinks after collision with ferry in Matsu Islands harbor

tugboat sinking after collision with ferry
Marine and Fisheries 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment ,

Five people were rescued from a sinking boat after a tug collided with a ferry and sank in Fu’ao Harbor in the Matsu Islands this morning. According to reports, the tugboat No.13302 was helping the Taima Star ferry out of the harbor when the collision occurred at around 10:00 am. The tugboat began taking on water and tilted sideways before sinking around 13 minutes later. An oil slick formed immediately after the sinking and coast guard officers deployed oil booms

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Hundreds of empty containers create shipping hazard after ship sinks near Taiwan’s largest port

containers adrift after ship sinks
Marine and Fisheries 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

An estimated 600 shipping containers are adrift off Taiwan’s southern coast after a container ship sank near the Port of Kaohsiung yesterday, July 21. The Palau-registered ANGEL sank early Friday morning after the crew were evacuated from the ship as it began listing dangerously after a suspected breach of the hull Thursday. An estimated 500-600 of the more than 1,300 empty containers aboard the ship remained afloat after the vessel sank around 2.8 nautical miles from the south embankment of

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