On the first anniversary of an oil spill caused by the Greek-registered M/V Amorgos, Environ-mental Protection Administration (EPA) head Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) yesterday vowed to seek NT$1 billion compensation from the ship's owner.
On Jan. 14 last year, the Amorgos ran aground near Kenting National Park, Pingtung County, on its way from Indonesia to China due to bad weather. Four days later, 1,150 tonnes of fuel oil remaining on the ship began to spill and soon contaminated 6,987m2 of the sensitive coastal area within the Lungkeng Ecological Conservation Preservation Area in the national park.
After integrating surveys by a number of government agencies on the cleanup, ecological damage and estimated expenses for future ecological restoration, the EPA yesterday released an estimate of the total loss to the public sector stemming from the accident of NT$1 billion, considerably less than was expected.
Previously, the Construction and Planning Administration estimated that the cost of damage to coastal coral reefs in Kenting National Park alone roughly amounted to NT$6 billion.
EPA officials, however, said that the NT$1 billion estimate was more accurate and the amount has been verified by British Maritime Technology, a leading international consultancy.
The EPA has authorized the law firm Lee and Li Attorneys-at-law (
"We hope to reach an acceptable agreement on compensation within three months of the start of negotiations. Otherwise, we won't discount the possibility of filing a lawsuit either in Taiwan or in Norway, where the insurance company's headquarters is registered," Hau said.
Hau yesterday also announced that Jan. 14 would be made Taiwan's Maritime Disaster Day (
"This memorial will not only remind the public but also the government of the importance of protecting this maritime country's waters from any kind of pollution," Hau said.
The Amorgos oil spill was the first case Taiwan faced since the Ocean Pollution Control Law went into effect the previous November. Governmental agencies' lack of experience in cooperating with each other led to the disaster, affecting some of Taiwan's most beautiful and ecologically important coastlines.
Former EPA head Lin Jun-yi (
To improve Taiwan's ability to deal with oil spills, the EPA last year appropriated NT$180 million for purchasing facilities and establishing training programs.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) has revised the Amorgos wreck-removal plan. The original plan became unfeasible after the wreck broke up and sank after typhoons last summer.
MOTC officials said yesterday that the remains on the sea floor would pose no danger of environmental pollution because fuel oil and the cargo of iron ore had been removed from the ship earlier.
Officials said, however, that a new salvage plan would be carried out in March to remove unstable remains by the end of July in order to ensure fishermen's safety.
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