Disabled oil tanker drifting towards Philippines

crude oil tanker Marquessa on fire off east coast of Taiwan

December 9, 2020December 9, 2020 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment marine search and rescue, ship adrift

A crude oil tanker that lost power after an engine room fire near Orchid Island, Taiwan, yesterday, December 8, has drifted towards the Philippines northernmost island of Mavulis, according to reports this evening, December 9. See previous story: Coast Guard dispatches helicopter, patrol boats after oil tanker catches fire off Taiwan’s east coast United Daily News reported this afternoon, that the 58,446 ton, Liberian-registered MARQUESSA remained adrift, after poor weather prevented a tug leaving the port of Kaohsiung earlier today.

Marine and Fisheries

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

Society

December 6, 2020June 20, 2023 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment environmental protection bureau, Kaohsiung City, littering

A man in Kaohsiung City plans to lodge an appeal after receiving 22 fines in the mail, all at once, for dropping 22 cigarette butts in a period of less than two hours. Mr Zeng said that he was in a bad mood on the evening of September 28, when he sat in the driver’s seat of his car, and chain smoked 22 cigarettes between 11:00 pm and 12:40 am. Zeng dropped each cigarette butt onto the road, unaware that

Animals

December 6, 2020December 7, 2020 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment Asian giant hornet, hornet attack, Taichung City

A police officer remained calm, and endured a Asian giant hornet gnawing into the flesh and cartilage of his ear for five minutes in order to avoid being stung, yesterday, December 5. Zhang Wen-long (張文勇), 51, was on duty at the Dajia River Power Plant at around 9:00 am, when the Asian giant hornet landed on the side of his face. Realizing the danger of being stung in the temple by the venomous insect, Zhang remained calm and avoided swiping

President of Legislative Yuan, Yu Shyi-kun

International Relations

December 4, 2020December 4, 2020 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment legislative-yuan, taiwan-australia-relations, wine

Taiwan’s parliamentary body, the Legislative Yuan, has purchased 200 bottles of Australian wine in support of an international inter-parliamentary action to counter China’s bullying of the Australian wine industry. Members of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), “an international cross-party group of legislators working to reform the approach of democratic countries to China,” recently called on consumers to stand up to Beijing. The call comes after the CCP slapped “anti-dumping” import tariffs on Australian wines of up to 212%. “We are

Travel and Tourism

December 4, 2020December 4, 2020 Phillip Charlier 1 Comment landslide, Taiwan Railway Administration

Two trains were stopped either side of an area being monitored by railway personnel shortly before a slope collapsed onto the railway tracks this morning, December 4. The location between Ruifang and Huotong Stations on the East Trunk Line was being monitored after a minor landslide on November 30 caused Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) to reduce two way traffic to one line. Two line traffic was restored yesterday, December 3. According to reports in United Daily News at around 8:30

Traffic Accidents

December 1, 2020 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment bus crash, Nantou County

The driver of a tour bus that crashed yesterday, leaving one dead, and 20 injured, was charged with professional negligence causing death, and professional negligence causing injury, and released on bail with a surety of NT$50,000 today, December 1. See previous article: One dead, 20 injured after bus crash on mountain road Investigators say that a preliminary investigation points to speed as being the likely cause of the crash. Liberty Times reported that the evidence gathered so far contradicts the

Traffic Accidents

November 30, 2020November 30, 2020 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment bus crash, Nantou County

One man died, and twenty people were injured, after a bus crashed on a downhill section of road in a mountain district of Nantou County today, November 30. The 23 seater bus was carrying tourists from Kaohsiung City when it crashed near Aowanda National Forest Recreation Area in Ren’ai Township at around 12:30 pm. According to the 51-year-old driver, named Lin, the brakes on the bus failed, and as it gathered speed on the windy downhill section, Lin attempted to

Italian national arrested after attempted robbery of convenience store

Crime and Criminals

November 29, 2020November 29, 2020 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment New Taipei City, robbery

An unemployed Italian man who attempted to rob a convenience store in New Taipei City in August this year, was sentenced to two years in prison, to be followed by deportation, Liberty Times reported today, November 29. See previous story: Italian man arrested, charged for attempted robbery of convenience store in New Taipei City The New Taipei City District Court heard that G.M Bruno walked into a convenience store in Tucheng District wearing a motorcycle helmet and a raincoat at

Violent Crimes

November 23, 2020November 23, 2020 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment homicide, Taichung City

Six people have been detained after an investigation turned up the remains of a 16-year-old girl, and a 54-year-old man, both stuffed into plastic barrels, and hidden in separate locations in Miaoli County, and Taichung City. According to media reports, the two murder victims were killed at different times for reasons unrelated to each other. The female, named Tsai, is believed to have been murdered in 2017, while the male victim, named Huang, was killed in 2019. China Times reported

Military Affairs

November 17, 2020November 17, 2020 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment f-16, plane crash

An ROCAF F-16 fighter plane is suspected to have crashed at sea, after disappearing from radar screens northeast of Hualien Airport at 6:07 pm this evening, according to the Ministry of National Defense (MND). The aircraft took off from Hualien Airbase for a night time training mission at 6:05 pm, the MND report said. The aircraft disappeared from radar screens around 13 kilometers northeast of Hualien Harbor around two minutes after take off. Air and surface search crews have been

Disabled oil tanker drifting towards Philippines

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

Man receives 22 fines after dropping 22 cigarette butts in 100-minute smoking binge

Police officer stayed calm while giant hornet chewed into his ear

Taiwan legislature buys 200 bottles of Australian wine in support against China bullying

Train narrowly misses being buried by landslide: services suspended between Taipei and Yilan

Driver in fatal bus crash charged, released on bail: suspected of speeding

One dead, 20 injured after bus crashes on mountain road

Italian man handed 2-year prison term, deportation for attempted robbery

Six suspects detained after human remains found in barrels

F-16 missing, suspected crashed off east coast of Taiwan