Biggest amphetamine smuggling bust in Taiwan history: 1.4 ton drug haul intercepted at Port of Kaohsiung

Eight people have been arrested in connection with a 1.4 ton haul of amphetamine and ketamine intercepted at the Port of Kaohsiung in what police described as the biggest amphetamine smuggling operation bust in Taiwan’s history. According to information released at a press briefing yesterday, November 15, the Criminal Investigation Bureau received intelligence in February this year that drug traffickers were planning to smuggle a large quantity of drugs using cargo ships berthing at the Port of Kaohsiung. After long-term

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Freighter catches fire at Port of Kaohsiung: one crewman rescued from water

The crew of a Cameroonian bulk carrier fled, and at least one man was forced to jump into the water, after a fire broke out on the ship while it was under repairs at a wharf in the Port of Kaohsiung, yesterday, September 13. Kaohsiung City Fire department received reports of a fire at the Jong Shyn Shipbuilding terminal at 3:54 pm. Video footage from the scene showed fierce flames and thick black smoke emanating from the cabin and rear

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Oil spill from sunken freighter contaminates popular bathing beach in southern Taiwan

Beachgoers at Cijin Beach in Kaohsiung City yesterday were affected by an oil slick suspected to have come from a container ship that sank off the coast more than one month ago. Kaohsiung City Councilor Lina Chen was hosting an event promoting the wearing of lifejackets while beach bathing at around 3:00 pm when participants began reporting that they were affected by oil in the water and on the sand. Chen informed the Kaohsiung City Tourism Bureau and the Maritime

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Hundreds of empty containers create shipping hazard after ship sinks near Taiwan’s largest port

An estimated 600 shipping containers are adrift off Taiwan’s southern coast after a container ship sank near the Port of Kaohsiung yesterday, July 21. The Palau-registered ANGEL sank early Friday morning after the crew were evacuated from the ship as it began listing dangerously after a suspected breach of the hull Thursday. An estimated 500-600 of the more than 1,300 empty containers aboard the ship remained afloat after the vessel sank around 2.8 nautical miles from the south embankment of

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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

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Murder on the high seas: fishing boat crew 47 days at sea with alleged killer locked in hold

A man was arrested when a fishing boat docked in Kaohsiung, 47 days after he is suspected of stabbing a fellow crewman to death on the Taiwanese-flagged vessel while operating in the Indian Ocean. The Criminal Investigation Bureau revealed yesterday, Tuesday, June 20, that an investigation was launched after it was reported that a Vietnamese crew member on the Taiwanese fishing vessel Fengguo No. 616 had stabbed an Indonesian crew member to death during an argument while the ship was

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Maritime pilots face mandatory alcohol testing following container ship accident at Taiwanese port

A pilot who was found to be drunk on the job after a container ship slammed into a wharf at the Port of Kaohsiung, Monday, March 20, will not be charged by police, but all maritime pilots in Taiwan will face mandatory alcohol breath testing before starting work following the incident. According to Taiwan’s Chinese language press, Mr Hsu, the pilot in charge of guiding the 74,651-ton vessel Hyundai Tokyo, was found to have an alcohol level of 0.19 mg/l

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74,000-ton container ship crashes into wharf at Port of Kaohsiung: Pilot suspected drunk

A 74,651-ton container ship was seen approaching a wharf pier bow-first at an angle of 90 degrees before colliding with the steel-reinforced concrete structure at the Port of Kaohsiung yesterday, Monday, March 20. According to the Maritime and Port Bureau, the Cyprus-flagged Hyundai Tokyo  (IMO: 9305673, MMSI 212347000) crashed into Pier 77 at 9:05 am, causing damage to the dock and quay wall. The port controller had noticed that the speed of the ship was too fast and sent a

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Oil tanker listing in Port of Kaohsiung after collision with breakwater

A 42,000 ton oil tanker began to take on water after colliding with a breakwater at the Port of Kaohsiung and damaging its hull, but there is little chance of oil pollution port authorities say. According to reports today, February 4, the Danish-flagged oil products tanker TORM EMILIE (IMO: 9277785) was entering the port on Tuesday, February 1, when it collided with the south dike breakwater, causing a hull breach, the harbor bureau said. The outer shell of the hull

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Container ship collision at Port of Kaohsiung causes crane collapse: one injured

One person was injured and two people were trapped in the wreckage after a container ship in the process of docking collided with another ship, causing one container crane to collapse, and badly damaging another at the Port of Kaohsiung today, June 3. At around 11:30 am the 316-meter-long, 86,679 gross tonnage container ship DURBAN, owned by OOCL Shipping Company, was attempting to dock at pier 66, when it sideswiped the 32,720 gross tonnage CONSTANCY (永明) belonging to Yangming Shipping,

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Ship launch doesn’t quite go to plan at Port of Kaohsiung

A ship suddenly tilted over precariously as soon as it hit the water during a launching ceremony at a shipyard in Kaohsiung Harbor this morning, March 27. Kaohsiung Harbor Police said that the 700-ton ocean-going fishing vessel “Shengfan 188” suddenly tilted over to a 45 degree angle when it was launched at the Sanyang Shipyard in Qijin District at around 11:00 am. Water almost reached the gunwales, and the ship was in danger of sinking. Two nearby tugboats immediately went

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