Fuel Oil Removed in Nick of Time as Grounded Ship Breaks Up

stern section of grounded oil tanker after splitting in two

June 19, 2018 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment marine salvage, MT Shine Luck, Port of Kaohsiung, ship aground

One of two empty oil tankers that ran aground on the coast of Kaohsiung on June 14 broke into two pieces this morning, June 18. Fortunately, despite being hampered by continuing poor weather conditions, fuel oil was successfully removed from the vessel yesterday, and a major pollution incident was averted. The Panamanian-flagged MT Shine Luck and the Fiji-registered Winner 19 ran aground at around the same time last Thursday evening, as a tropical low that had almost reached typhoon strength

Violent Crimes

June 18, 2018June 18, 2018 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment homicide, murder, Taipei City

[Picture: UDN] Police today found the remains of a 30 year-old missing woman after a 37 year-old man confessed yesterday, that he had killed her, cut up her body, and disposed of the remains on Yangming Mountain (Yangmingshan: 陽明山) earlier this month. According to media reports today, June 18, an archery instructor named Chen had met a woman named Gao just over one month ago while he was giving lessons at his studio in the Huashan arts and culture park.

Traffic Accidents

June 17, 2018June 17, 2018 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment central cross island highway, rockfall

Three people were injured, none seriously, after a large rock hit the roof of a car on the Central Cross Island Highway this afternoon, June 17. One of the injured was a baby girl. Shortly before 1:00pm, a rock estimated to weigh hundreds of kilograms fell from a slope above the highway on the Deji Reservoir section, and hit an SUV with 5 occupants. The 39 year-old driver was unscathed but his 34 year-old wife was trapped in the vehicle

Crime and Criminals

June 17, 2018June 17, 2018 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment

A suspect in Tainan City stole a police officer’s gun during an attempted arrest in Tainan City this morning, before escaping. Police officers on Patrol on Wusheng Road spotted Yang Zheng-xun outside a breakfast store at around 6:00am this morning. Yang, who has an extensive criminal record, including escaping from, and assaulting police officers, was wanted after being convicted on sexual assault charges, and sentenced to a five-year prison term. According to Apple Daily, Yang ran when he saw the

Marine and Fisheries

June 17, 2018June 18, 2018 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment marine salvage, Port of Kaohsiung, ship aground

[Picture: Maritime and Port Bureau] Fuel oil is being pumped from two oil tankers that ran aground on the coast of Kaohsiung June 14, but operations have been hampered by large swells and heavy rain today, June 17. Efforts to drain the ships stepped up today, but work had to frequently stop as waves continued to pound the MT Shine Luck, which is grounded against concrete wave-breakers. The Winner 19 is grounded on sand on Linyuan Beach, and while there

19 Winner oil tanker aground in Kaohsiung

Marine and Fisheries

June 15, 2018June 15, 2018 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment Port of Kaohsiung, ship aground

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

Typhoon

June 15, 2018June 15, 2018 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment typhoon, typhoon kemi

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) has named the tropical depression currently dumping rain on Taiwan, Typhoon Kemi, making it the 6th named tropical storm for 2018. Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau (CWB) is not yet calling it a typhoon. JMA upgraded the low-pressure system’s status to typhoon status at 9:10am this morning as it made landfall in Taiwan’s south-west. The storm has a central air pressure of 992hPa. However, CWB believes that the tropical depression has not yet reached mild typhoon

Fire

June 15, 2018 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment gas explosion, Taichung

Three employees suffered burn injuries after a gas explosion and fire destroyed a food processing shop in Taichung City this morning. At around 5:00am, an explosion was heard in Jianxin Street in the eastern district. Witnesses at the scene reported multiple explosions. Firefighters rushed to the scene to find the shop engulfed in flames and 6 people trapped on the top floor of the three-storey building. Four male employees were working in the shop at the time of the explosion,

Traffic Accidents

June 14, 2018 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment bus-accident, Nantou County, prosecution

The driver of a tour bus that crashed in Nantou County in October last year was prosecuted today, after an investigation determined that he had ignored warning indicators, and continued to drive downhill in high gear until the brakes finally failed, leading to one death, and 23 injured passengers. [See previous article: Bus Brakes Fail: 1 Dead, 23 Injured ] On October 24, 2017, the bus driver, Mr Lai (賴), was in charge of a tour bus carrying a group

Weather

June 12, 2018June 12, 2018 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment meiyu front, plum-rain

The Central Weather Bureau has warned that a Meiyu front will begin to affect Taiwan, bringing heavy rain starting in the southern counties tomorrow, and gradually moving north and intensifying. The front will affect the whole island until at least Sunday. The Meiyu front is expected to be the first significant rainfall of the East Asian rainy season, called “plum rain” in Chinese and Japanese. Plum rain usually begins in May, but this year’s late arrival has caused reservoir levels

Violent Crimes

June 12, 2018 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment guns, Kaohsiung City, pen gun, shooting

A man who shot his wife’s uncle with a pen gun in Kaohsiung City yesterday, was arrested today after police identified his car parked outside a pawnshop. Mr Wang, 37, met his 35 year-old wife, at around noon, yesterday, outside a residential building in Gushan District to discuss terms of their divorce. Ms Wang was accompanied by her maternal uncle, Mr Guo. Negotiations over a the divorce settlement broke down, resulting in a dispute during which Guo swung a punch

Fuel Oil Removed in Nick of Time as Grounded Ship Breaks Up

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Wanted Criminal Escapes after Stealing Police Pistol

Oil Pumping Operation on Grounded Tankers Hampered by Bad Weather

Two Oil Tankers Aground Near Port of Kaohsiung

Japan Calls Typhoon over Taiwan

3 Injured in Taichung City Gas Explosion

Driver Prosecuted over Fatal Bus Accident in Nantou County

After Drought, Taiwan Prepares for Deluge

Kaohsiung Man Arrested for Pen Gun Shooting