Container ship listing dangerously off the Port of Kaohsiung

The crew of a container ship abandoned the vessel and were rescued by the coast guard this morning after the ship began to take water and listed dangerously 2.8 nautical miles outside the Port of Kaohsiung.

Taiwan’s National Coast Guard Administration (CGA) received reports that the 16,145-gross-ton Palauan-flagged vessel ANGEL was in distress at around 9:00 am. Nineteen crew abandoned ship and were picked up by coast guard patrol boats, including one injured.

According to reports, 6 containers fell into the sea, creating a shipping hazard sufficient for port authorities to declare Kaohsiung First Harbor closed. Ships are currently entering and exiting normally from the Second Harbor entrance.

Taiwan International Ports Corporation Kaohsiung Branch said that after receiving initial reports of the incident it set up an emergency response team, and requested the shipping agency set up at least two oil boom lines to prevent a possible oil leak. Generators and pumps were dispatched to the ship to attempt to pump water out of the hold. Attempts will be made to salvage the 6 containers that fell into the sea and to prevent any of the remaining 1,300 empty containers falling off the ship.

Taiwan English News is an independent publication with no corporate funding. If you found this article informative, and would like to support my work, please buy me a coffee or support me on Patreon. Subscribe to Taiwan English News for free to receive the latest news via email. Advertising queries are welcome. Share, like, comment below.