Coast Guard dispatches helicopter, patrol boats after oil tanker catches fire off Taiwan’s east coast

crude oil tanker Marquessa on fire off east coast of Taiwan

December 8, 2020December 8, 2020 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment marine search and rescue, ship-fire

A Liberian-registered crude oil tanker caught fire 16.5 nautical miles east of Taiwan’s Orchid Island, and rescue crews were dispatched to rescue the 24 crew members on board, today, December 8. The National Airborne Service Corps (NASC) said the captain of the MARQUESSA sent out distress calls at 10:30 am this morning, reporting a fire in the vessel’s engine room. Three Coast Guard patrol boats and an NASC blackhawk helicopter were dispatched to rescue the crew after the vessel lost

fall armyworm detected in corn crop in Taiwan

Environment

November 17, 2020November 17, 2020 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment Agriculture, fall army worm, invasive species

Researchers at the Council of Agriculture’s Taiwan Agricultural Chemicals and Toxic Substances Research Institute (TACTRI) have developed trap for fall army worm which they hope to have on the market by June next year. Considered a serious global pest by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization, the fall army worm was detected in Taiwan for the first time in June last year, and quickly spread around the island. The traps developed by TACTRI use a formula based on the

Marine and Fisheries

November 10, 2020November 10, 2020 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment great white, megamouth shark, shark

Taiwan’s Fisheries Agency announced that a ban on catching great white, basking, and megamouth sharks went into effect today, November 10, after a 60-day notification period for objections to an amended law passed the threshold. The proposed ban was put forward in July this year after a series of controversial catches raised concerns of conservation groups, who have long called for the ban. In a four-day period between June 15 and June 18 this year, six rare megamouth sharks were

Taiwan Coast Guard officers retrieve an empty life raft after a ship sinks in the Taiwan Strait

Marine and Fisheries

October 24, 2020October 24, 2020 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment Port of Kaohsiung, ship-sinking, Taiwan Strait

Five Thai nationals were rescued and five are missing after a ship lost power in the Taiwan Strait, then sank while being towed to the Port of Kaohsiung last night, October 23. The Seatran Ferry 12, a Tuvulu-registered passenger – vehicular ferry, had been purchased in Japan, and was en route to Thailand when the main engine and auxiliary engines failed at around 11:00 am, yesterday. The ship’s crew contacted a shipping company and hired a tug to tow it

Marine and Fisheries

October 13, 2020October 13, 2020 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment Port of Kaohsiung, ship aground

A crew of 13 was rescued from a freighter yesterday, after the drifting vessel began to list dangerously, then the ship ran aground after an attempt to tow the vessel failed. The Sierra-Leone-registered, 2,600 ton general-cargo freighter, Zhihai 8, lost power in the early hours of the morning, yesterday, October 12. The crew abandoned ship by life raft after the ship began listing severely to starboard, threatening to overturn. Coast Guard vessels and a helicopter were dispatched from the Port

Marine and Fisheries

October 7, 2020October 12, 2020 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment ambergris, Orchid-Island

A resident of Orchid Island found a mysterious stone while fishing on a beach in March this year, and it has been confirmed that the object is a lump of ambergris worth an estimated NT$6 million (US$209, 300). Mr Lee, a resident of Longdao Village said that he was drawn to the four-kilogram stone by a strong fragrance. Suspecting it may be ambergris, Lee took the stone home. Mr Lee subjected the stone to a simple test at home –

Marine and Fisheries

September 28, 2020September 29, 2020 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment

A crew of 10 sailors have reached out for help after being stuck at anchor off the Port of Taichung for two months in poor living conditions and often suffering food and water shortages. “The ship is like a jail. It’s like being under arrest, like human trafficking,” the ship’s master, Saw Aungcho, told Taiwan English News. The crew consists of 7 Myanmar nationals and three Indonesians. They are onboard the MV Xing Guang 168 (IMO 8859536, call sign 9LU2317).

Marine and Fisheries

September 21, 2020September 21, 2020 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment Penghu Islands, unexploded ordnance

Military bomb disposal personnel say that an object discovered on an uninhabited island in Penghu County is probably a naval mine from World War Two. A team of civilians contracted by national park authorities to do a coastal cleanup discovered the mystery object on Chutou Islet Friday, September 18. Poor sea and weather conditions prevented military unexploded ordnance disposal personnel from reaching the site until today, Monday, September 21. Media reports over the weekend noted that the mine was not

Animals Environment

August 14, 2020April 16, 2023 Phillip Charlier 1 Comment animal cruelty, Formosan black bear, Formosan cypress, mountain rats

One of two leaders of a group of “mountain rats” – a term used in Taiwan to describe illegal loggers and timber thieves – confessed to killing, skinning, and eating a Formosan black bear, after bones were found in his camp, and pictures were found on his phone. Fifty police and 36 forestry personnel were mobilized May 7 to search for timber thieves in seven locations in Hsinchu County, Miaoli County, and Taoyuan City mountain districts, after a four-month-long investigation,

tropical depression may be named tropical storm Hagupit

Environment

August 1, 2020August 1, 2020 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment tropical storm, weather

After the first July on record with no typhoon development in the northwest Pacific, one tropical depression was upgraded to tropical storm status today, and another is expected to intensify into a tropical storm tomorrow. Tropical cyclone Sinlaku formed out of a monsoonal low pressure system in the South China Sea and was upgraded to a named tropical storm by the China Meteorological Administration this morning, August 1. Sinlaku is moving towards the coast of southern China and Vietnam, and

Marine and Fisheries

July 21, 2020July 21, 2020 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment Gongliao District, New Taipei City, unexploded ordnance

A popular scuba diving location has been sealed off after 13 unexploded bombs were identified by military divers in New Taipei City’s Gongliao District today, July 21. Coast Guard personnel first sealed off the area yesterday after a recreational scuba diver reported finding a large unexploded military bomb yesterday afternoon at Mao’ao Bay at around 3:00 pm. Military divers began a search of the area at around 9:00 am this morning, and by 2:45 pm had identified 13 large pieces

Environment

Coast Guard dispatches helicopter, patrol boats after oil tanker catches fire off Taiwan’s east coast

Council of Agriculture successfully develops non-toxic weapon against fall army worm

Fishing ban on great white sharks, basking sharks, and megamouth sharks goes into effect today

Five missing after ship sinks in the Taiwan Strait

Freighter runs aground on coast of southern Taiwan after crew abandons crippled ship

Orchid Island resident finds lump of Ambergris worth NT$6 million

Crew seeking help after being stuck on ship for 2 months

Object found on island believed to be WWII era naval mine

“Mountain rat” confesses to killing endangered Formosan black bear

Tropical depression intensifying and expected to affect Taiwan’s weather starting tomorrow

Cache of unexploded military bombs found in New Taipei City coastal waters