Marine and Fisheries

Two Oil Tankers Aground Near Port of Kaohsiung

19 Winner oil tanker aground in Kaohsiung
Marine and Fisheries 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment ,

Kaohsiung Coast Guard Administration rescued a total of 32 crew members from two oil tankers that ran aground near the Port of Kaohsiung due to stormy weather yesterday evening, June 14. The Fiji-registered 19 Winner, and the Panama-flagged MT Shine Luck, both lost their moorings in high wind and heavy seas generated by a tropical low pressure system at around 8:00pm, and ran aground in shallow waters near Fengbitou. Fourteen crew, including the captain of the Fijian vessel, which was

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15 Rehabilitated Turtles Returned to the Sea

turtles released into the ocean after rehabilitation
Marine and Fisheries 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

Penghu County Agriculture and Fisheries Bureau released 15 rehabilitated turtles back into the wild after inviting students from local elementary schools, National Penghu University of Science and Technology, and members of the general public to participate in the event this morning, May 15. Six of the turtles had hatched during the 2015 and 2016 breeding seasons, but had been too weak to climb out of the nest on their own. The juvenile turtles were now around 30 centimeters long, and

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Kenting Beach Contaminated by Sewage Sludge

sewage sludge at beach in Kenting National Park
Marine and Fisheries 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

The waters of Nanwan Beach in Pingtung County’s Hengchun Township turned black this morning after sewage sludge was accidentally released from a sewage treatment plant. Beach-goers said that the water suddenly turned black and smelly at around 11:00am today, May 1. Surfers reported suffering from itchiness all over their bodies after being caught in the stinky slick. Liberty Times reported that foreign tourists remained unaware of the problem and continued to swim in the surf zone. Personnel from Pingtung County

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Rescue Pool Set up at Elementary School to Rehabilitate Stranded Whale

sperm whale rescued after stranding
Animals Marine and Fisheries 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

Taipei City Ocean Education Resource Center and the Taiwan Cetacean Society set up an emergency rescue pool at Guandu Elementary School to accommodate a dwarf sperm whale found stranded on a beach near Jinshan yesterday. It is the first case of cetacean rescue and school cooperation. The dwarf sperm whale was found stranded on Jinqing Beach by the 21st Coastal Patrol Squadron at around 11:00am, March 20. The cetacean is a mature female about 280 centimeters long. A veterinary assessment

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Rare Sharks found in Taitung

Marine and Fisheries 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

A marine survey by the Council of Agriculture Fisheries Research Institute off the coast of Taitung County turned up some rare specimens of viper shark (Trigonognathus kabeyai), first recorded off the coast of Japan in 1986. Five specimens were netted at a depth of 350 meters, and one of the fish survived. The marine biologists attempted to keep the shark alive using cold seawater at 10°C, but the animal only survived for one day. So far, the species has only

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Crew Rescued from British Yacht Adrift in Heavy Seas

coast guard vessels rescue crew of yacht
Marine and Fisheries 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

Coast Guard vessels from Keelung rescued the crew of a British-registered yacht after it lost power when a fishing net fouled its propeller in heavy seas about 50 nautical miles north of Cape Fugui yesterday. The Coast Guard received reports that a vessel was sending distress signals at around 5:25am yesterday, November 22. A coast guard cutter and a helicopter were immediately dispatched to facilitate a rescue. However, heavy seas, and the tall mast of the yacht made an airlift

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Baby Finless Porpoise Washed up on Oil-Stained Beach

dead finless porpoise and oil on contaminated beach
Marine and Fisheries 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

A dead juvenile finless porpoise was found on an oil-contaminated beach in Kinmen County yesterday, November 3, after a Chinese-registered gravel ship that ran aground last month broke up and sank around 700 meters offshore. The vessel Quan Hai 88 ran aground on October 16, with 10 tons of diesel fuel and 60 tons of heavy oil on board, according to this Liberty Times Network Report made on October 17. The same report said that port authorities on the Taiwan

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Stranded Bulk-freighter Finally Towed Free

The vessel harvest sky aground on the coast of Taiwan
Marine and Fisheries 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

A bulk carrier that ran aground off the coast of Taoyuan City October 14 was finally towed free at 11:00pm last night, October 20. The owners of the 95,717 DWT (Gross Tonnage: 50,626) Harvest Sky carrying a load of coal bound for an unloading facility in Linkou District accumulated fines of NT$800,000, after being issued an NT$100,000 fine every day the vessel was stranded. The vessel owners contracted Nippon Salvage to rescue the vessel, but a tug sent to attempt

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Tug Sent to Rescue Stranded Freighter Also Runs Aground

tug aground on Taoyuan coast, Taiwan
Marine and Fisheries 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment ,

Taoyuan City firefighters had to rescue the crew of a tugboat sent to help a coal freighter stranded off the coast, after the tug lost power and ran aground today, October 18. Taoyuan Fire Bureau dispatched 15 firefighters, an ambulance, and 6 inflatable boats to rescue the crew of 9 on the tug. On October 14, the Panamanian-registered Harvest Sky ran aground in foul weather 300 meters off the coast near Taoyuan City. The 95,717 tonne bulk carrier has a

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Crew Rescued After Abandoning Capsized Ship

a ships crew rescued from life raft
Marine and Fisheries 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment ,

The crew of a Honduran-registered freighter was rescued by Taiwan coast guard in the early ours of the morning after the ship capsized off the coast of south-west Taiwan. The coast guard office received a report from the National Rescue Command Center that the 2,673 tonne freighter Ming An had capsized 36 nautical miles from the port of Kaohsiung at 1:38am. The crew of 14 Indonesian nationals had abandoned the vessel in rough seas. The Coast Guard dispatched ships and

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Remains of Missing Diver Found

a coastguard vessel involved in body recovery Orchid Island
Marine and Fisheries 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment ,

The body of a post-graduate student who went missing while diving off Orchid Island October 15 has been found and recovered today. The remains of Lin Jiazhi were found just 200 meters away from the place he went missing. Volunteer divers joined the search this morning at around 6:00am. At 8:40am the divers located a body underwater. A coast guard boat was dispatched to recover the remains. Related Video See Previous Article: Sea Snake Researcher Missing off Orchid Island.

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