Port of Kaohsiung

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

container cranes collapsed at Port of Kaohsiung
Marine and Fisheries 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment ,

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

listing ship at launch
Marine and Fisheries 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

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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1.6 million packs of contraband cigarettes seized from cargo ship intercepted near Dongsha Island

Tong Hang Number 6 intercepted by Coast Guard
Business and Economy 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment ,

Coast Guard and customs officials have seized 1.6 million packs of contraband cigarettes from a Togo-flagged cargo vessel that was intercepted near Dongsha Island March 6. Coast Guard officers intercepted the ship after receiving intelligence that the 2,000 ton aggregates carrier TONG HANG No. 6 bound for Taiwan from Cambodia was carrying cigarettes manufactured in China. After intercepting the vessel on March 6, the Coast Guard escorted the ship to the Port of Kaohsiung. After arriving on March 9, customs

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Five missing after ship sinks in the Taiwan Strait

Taiwan Coast Guard officers retrieve an empty life raft after a ship sinks in the Taiwan Strait
Marine and Fisheries 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

Five Thai nationals were rescued and five are missing after a ship lost power in the Taiwan Strait, then sank while being towed to the Port of Kaohsiung last night, October 23. The Seatran Ferry 12, a Tuvulu-registered passenger – vehicular ferry, had been purchased in Japan, and was en route to Thailand when the main engine and auxiliary engines failed at around 11:00 am, yesterday. The ship’s crew contacted a shipping company and hired a tug to tow it

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Freighter runs aground on coast of southern Taiwan after crew abandons crippled ship

ship aground on coast of Kaohsiung City
Marine and Fisheries 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment ,

A crew of 13 was rescued from a freighter yesterday, after the drifting vessel began to list dangerously, then the ship ran aground after an attempt to tow the vessel failed. The Sierra-Leone-registered, 2,600 ton general-cargo freighter, Zhihai 8, lost power in the early hours of the morning, yesterday, October 12. The crew abandoned ship by life raft after the ship began listing severely to starboard, threatening to overturn. Coast Guard vessels and a helicopter were dispatched from the Port

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World’s largest container ship docks at Port of Kaohsiung

HMM Gdansk at Port of Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 2020
Business and Economy 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment ,

The world’s largest container ship, HMM Gdansk docked in Kaohsiung Harbor this morning, setting a record for Taiwan’s largest port. The newly built, Korean-owned, Panama-flagged vessel is 399.9 meters long, 61 meters wide with a gross tonnage of 228,283 tons. It has a load capacity of 24,000 TEU (20-foot standard container unit). HMM Gdansk is the largest container ship to have berthed in Port of Kaohsiung. The previous record was set by the Benjamin Franklin, with a total length of

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Veteran Navy Ship sold for scrap

Chung Hai LST-201
Military Affairs 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment ,

A ship that took part in action in World War II as part of the US Navy, and during the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis in 1958 as part of the ROC Navy, was sold as scrap metal, despite protests from military historians and enthusiasts. The Chung Hai (LST-201) began life as the USS LST-755 tank landing ship in 1944, and was used by the US Navy in two landing operations in the Philippines. After World War II it was sold

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136 kilogram cocaine shipment intercepted at Port of Kaohsiung

cocaine shipment intercepted at Port of Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Drugs 
Phillip Charlier 1 Comment , ,

Coast Guard investigators, along with customs officers and national police intercepted a shipment of cocaine at the Port of Kaohsiung two days ago, according to reports released today, November 5. Investigators were first tipped around six months ago that a transnational drug trafficking group planned to use the Port of Kaohsiung as a trans-shipment point for drug shipments from Central and South America. Coast Guard, Customs, and National Police formed a special group to investigate the claims. After relevant intelligence

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111 kilo Ketamine Shipment Intercepted at Port of Kaohsiung

Drugs 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

Customs officers and police discovered 111 kilograms of ketamine hidden in a shipment of plastic mold injection machines at the Port of Kaohsiung August 6. At a press conference today, August 9, police in Taichung City told reporters that an investigation began in February this year after police were tipped off that a legally-registered company in Yunlin County was importing drugs hidden in plastic molding equipment. The investigation culminated in the intercept at Kaohsiung Harbor, Monday this week. Customs police

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

stern section of grounded oil tanker after splitting in two
Marine and Fisheries 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

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

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Oil Pumping Operation on Grounded Tankers Hampered by Bad Weather

MT Shine Luck aground in Kaohsiung
Marine and Fisheries 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

[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

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