Nine fishermen were reported missing yesterday after their boat capsized off the coast of Taoyuan following a collision with a cargo ship, a Ministry of Transport and Communications agency said.
As of press time last night, coast guard personnel were still searching for the missing fishermen — one Taiwanese, four Chinese and four Indonesians — the Maritime and Port Bureau said.
Coast Guard Administration Hsinchu branch deputy head Tseng Shu-feng (曾樹風) said the crew of the Shih Hui No. 31 could still be rescued given the weather conditions and water temperature, as long as they are found within 72 hours.
Photo: CNA
The incident occurred at 1:48am yesterday, when the 48-tonne fishing boat collided with a 8,100-tonne cargo ship, Asia Cement No. 2, 6 nautical miles (11.1km) northwest of Taoyuan’s Jhuwei Fishing Port (竹圍漁港), the bureau said.
Both vessels are based in the port of Keelung.
Upon receiving reports of the incident, the coast guard dispatched vessels to the area to search for the fishermen and requested the National Rescue Command Center to send helicopters to help with the efforts, the bureau said.
Photo courtesy of the Coast Guard
Six Coast Guard Administration vessels and six fishing boats operating nearby were involved in search-and-rescue efforts, while the navy’s Underwater Operations Unit joined the search later in the day, the bureau said.
The coast guard had divers searching the water near the overturned vessel, while other staff were spread out in search of crew members who might have drifted away from the ship, Tseng said.
The coast guard extended search-and-rescue operations as far north as off the coast of New Taipei City’s Tamsui District (淡水), based on data collected on sea currents.
Earlier, divers reported that only one-third of the ship was accessible to searchers, with fishing nets preventing them from checking the pilothouse, Tseng said, adding that engineers were tasked with removing the nets.
The captain’s wife, surnamed Lee (李), said her husband, 66-year-old Chi Wan-te (紀萬得), has been in the fishing trade since he graduated from elementary school, adding that Chi had not quit the job because it was more a hobby than vocation.
“We hope that all nine crew members onboard will be rescued and returned to the shore safe and sound,” Lee said.
Asia Cement No. 2 has berthed at the Port of Taipei in compliance with investigative protocols.
U-Ming Marine Co spokesperson Chen Hsiu-neng (陳秀能) said that the vessel had picked up cargo in Hualien and was en route to Taichung to unload when it had accidentally grazed the fishing boat early yesterday morning.
“We are investigating what led to the incident,” Chen said, adding that the company would not shirk any responsibility.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique