Marine and Fisheries 

Typhoon Gaemi sinks 1 ship, forces 3 aground in southern Taiwan: 9 sailors missing

Indonesian freighter "Iriana" aground in southern Taiwan
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

Nine Myanmar nationals are missing after a ship capsized and sank off Taiwan’s southern coast, and three other vessels have run aground in sea and wind conditions affected by Typhoon Gaemi since yesterday, July 24.

According to Taiwan’s National Coast Guard Administration, the Tanzanian-flagged freighter Fu Shun capsized and sank around 19 nautical miles off the coast of Kaohsiung City at around 6:30 am this morning. The crew of nine Myanmar nationals are suspected to have fallen into the sea and are missing.

NCGA was notified that the Portuguese-registered cargo ship Sopfia had run aground 1.5 nautical miles southwest of Anping Port on the coast of Tainan City at around 1:30 pm yesterday. All crew aboard the 1,233 metric ton ship are reported to be safe.

At 11:42 pm it was reported that the 10,306 metric ton Indonesian cargo ship Iriana was aground around on the coast at Jialu Beach, Fangshan Township, Pingtung County. The 20 Indonesian crew members aboard were reported safe, the hull intact, and no oil leakage had occurred.

Indonesian cargo ship Iriana aground on coast of Pingtung County, Taiwan
Indonesian cargo ship Iriana aground on coast of Pingtung County, Taiwan, July 25, 2024. Picture Credit: NCGA.

At 8:15 am this morning, the Mongolian-flagged cargo ship Basia ran aground on the shore of Dapeng Bay, Pingtung County. There were eight crew aboard, consisting of six Indonesians and two Myanmar nationals.

cargo ship Basia aground in Taiwan
Cargo ship Basia aground on the shore of Pingtung County, Taiwan, July 25, 2024. Picture Credit: Mr Lee.

At 11:00 am, the cargo ship Ginan was reported aground in Dapeng Bay in Pingtung County.

map showing location of stranded and ships in distress
1. Iriana – aground. 2. Sopfia – aground. 3. Hedwig Oldendorff – made a distress call, but is now reported safe. 4. Fu Shun – capsized and sank, crew missing. Picture Credit: National Coast Guard Administration.

Typhoon Gaemi began to affect the area Tuesday, and made landfall near Nan’ao Township in Yilan County on Taiwan’s northeastern coast at around midnight today, Thursday, July 25.

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