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Spill clean-up effort runs aground

Though it's been almost seven months since the Greek-registered MV Amorgos spilled roughly 1,150 tonnes of fuel oil into waters near Kenting National Park, the clean-up job has yet to be completed.

The efforts continue to be delayed -- slowed by bad weather and the increasingly complex nature of the task, officials stationed in Kenting said yesterday.

The ship spilled the fuel in January and was supposed to be cleaned up by June. But following several storms, the remains of the wreck threaten to cause even more damage.

"The wreck has broken into four parts, which are sitting on the seafloor covering sensitive coral reef beds," said Lai Hsin-tien (賴新田), a Ministry of Transportation and Communications official who took over the leadership of a clean-up task force yesterday.

Lai said that coming typhoons would increase the difficulties of carrying out the salvage project.

"Due to the disturbances of strong waves, the pieces of the wreck on the seafloor continue to damage the coral reef," Lai said.

The forecast arrival of another storm tomorrow, Typhoon Toraji, has officials worried that the reef will be damaged even further.

The main goal of the recovery is to ensure that as little damage as possible is done to the fragile ecological system of the coral reefs and marine life, Lai said.

The MV Amorgos ran aground on Jan. 14, slamming into submerged reefs near the national park. Four days later, the oil began to leak.

The Environmental Protection Administration estimates that at least 1,150 tonnes of oil was spilled into the sea and polluted coastal reefs at the park's Lungkeng Ecological Preserve.

After an onshore clean-up was completed in late March, the government tried to carry out a salvage project to pump out fuel oil and remove iron ore from the half-sunk wreck.

In early May, Nan Feng Salvage Company, enlisted by the Nissos Armogos Shipping Corp -- the owner of the wreck -- began to pump oil out but work was disrupted by Typhoon Cimaron, which struck southern Taiwan on May 13.

On May 17, Nan Feng's Chi Yung No. 13 (啟用十三號), a former ore ship, ran into submerged reefs, delaying the project.

What's more, on June 23, Cimaron's follower Chebi tore the wreck into two parts, causing the leakage of the ore, which made it impossible for Nan Feng to complete the salvage project by the end of last month.

Earlier this month, Typhoons Utor and Trami not only further damaged the wreck, but also worsened the situation for the Chi Yung No. 13. The latter was pushed on to coral reefs in the ecological reserve by a rising tide and was left stuck 20m from the coastline.

The salvage project has become even more challenging. Lai said that Nan Feng would have to cut four parts of the MV Amorgos into pieces under the sea and then dump them at some point further away from the shore.

Due to the expected higher cost of the salvage project, Assuranceforeningen Gard-Gjensidig, the ship's insurance company, has avoided revising the project.

"Before any conclusion has been reached, all we can do is just wait and see," Lai said.

Lai said that alarm lights around the site where the MV Amorgos sunk would be set up soon in order to keep fishermen away from the area.

Yesterday, Nan Feng presented the task force with the project of removing the Chi Yung No. 13 from the ecological reserve.

However, officials of the national park complained about the 30-day project because of the potential of damage to the coral reefs. The task force demanded Nan Feng yesterday turn in a revised project by Tuesday.

The spill is the first since the Ocean Pollution Control Act came into effect last year. As officials have struggled to deal with the case, it has tested government interdepartmental cooperation.

Former Environmental Protection Administration head Lin Jun-yi's (林俊義) taking leave in early March -- and the Control Yuan's impeachment of some officials of the administration and the Ministry of Transportation and Communications -- have not helped the recovery process.

Currently, the ministry is struggling to complete the salvage project. Meanwhile, the administration is arguing with insurers about reasonable compensation. The company reportedly intended to pay US$4.35 million for the pollution clean-up. Environmental officials estimated that that amount would only cover the expense of onshore clean-up work, but not the loss of fishery and ecological resources.

Negotiations conducted by the environmental administration have also hit snags, as the ship's insurance company has been reluctant to take any responsibility for the wreck.

The reluctance has also created a controversy over the human rights of two crew members of the MV Amorgos, who have been detained in Taiwan since January under the Ocean Pollution Control Act.

"The administration may ask the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to contact the government of Greece to encourage the shipping company and the insurance company to face the issue," said Lin Chien-hui (林建輝), a senior specialist of the administration's Bureau of Water Quality Protection.

Chiau Wen-yan (邱文彥), a marine environmental associate professor at National Sun Yat-sen University, said that it was time to review the new act to figure out why it could not solve problems.
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