EPA Preparing for Oil Spill as Freighter Breaks Up.

the grounded ship Te-hsiang Taipei (德翔臺北) on Taiwan's north-east coast

March 24, 2016May 13, 2016 Phillip Charlier 3 Comments environmental hazard, oil spill, Te-hsiang Taipei (德翔臺北)

Environmental Protection Authorities in Taiwan are preparing for an oil spill as freighter which ran aground March 10 has developed a large crack in the hull and looks to be breaking in half. About 242 cubic meters of heavy oil remain on board after recovery efforts were stopped due to bad weather. An oil boom has been put in place to prevent oil entering the cooling system of a nearby nuclear power-plant which depends on sea-water to cool the reactor.

Disaster

March 15, 2016March 15, 2016 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment environmental hazard, oil spill, ship aground

An oil leak, the release of hazardous chemicals, and disruption of cooling facilities at a nearby nuclear reactor, are all potential threats posed by the grounding of a freighter near Shimen Township in the waters of New Taipei City. The T.S. Lines freighter, is grounded on rocks close to shore after losing power in bad weather shortly after departing from Keelung Harbor enroute to Hong Kong. Breaches to the hull resulted in flooding of the engine compartment and damage to