Estimates of the damage caused by the Tzini oil spill on the nation's east coast last month will be delivered by Friday next week, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) said yesterday. The Maltese cargo ship went aground off Suao Port (
Hsu Jen-tse (
The company, he said, must not only pay for the costs the government is facing to clean up the mess, but it must also pay for the damage done to local fishery resources as well as the damage to the marine environment.
According to Hsu, a preliminary estimate shows that the company will have to pay the central government at least NT$10 million (US$312,500). Regarding the damage to local fishery and other natural resources, the administration has asked the Suao Fishermen's Association (SFA) to quickly calculate their losses.
"Both the Taiwanese government and the ship's insurer (Assuranceforeningen Gard) have generally agreed that the entire incident will be settled through direct negotiations, and not through a lawsuit in the international court," Hsu added.
Assuranceforeningen Gard is also the insurer for Amorgus which was responsible for an oil leak several years ago. The firm reached a settlement with the EPA in August last year.
SFA representative Chen Sheng-yen (陳勝彥) said yesterday that the association has asked academics from the National Taiwan Ocean University to assist them in coming up with an accurate estimation of damages.
Chen said while it is relatively easy to determine the losses of fishermen that use set nets -- a commonly-used method to snare seasonal migrating fish along the coast -- it is much more difficult to gauge the long-term damage done to the marine environment.
"We don't want to just name a price that is not supported by specific evidence," Chen said, adding they will release their estimate on either Monday or Tuesday.
The Bureau of Environmental Protection under the Ilan County Government has reported that more than 100 tonnes of fuel oil leaked into the ocean.
The owner of the cargo ship was ordered to remove the remaining fuel oil on the vessel before having the ship towed out to sea.
However, the owner disobeyed the ruling.
Tzini's proprietor was fined a total of NT$3 million by the Ilan County Government for failing to act in time to prevent the oil leakage and for disobeying an administrative order in local waters.
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
The Taichung District Court yesterday confirmed its final ruling that the marriage between teenage heir Lai (賴) and a man surnamed Hsia (夏) was legally invalid, preventing Hsia from inheriting Lai’s NT$500 million (US$16.37 million) estate. The court confirmed that Hsia chose not to appeal the civil judgement after the court handed down its ruling in June, making the decision final. In the June ruling, the court said that Lai, 18, and Hsia, 26, showed “no mutual admiration before the marriage” and that their interactions were “distant and unfamiliar.” The judge concluded that the couple lacked the “true intention of
EVA Airways today confirmed the death of a flight attendant on Saturday upon their return to Taiwan and said an internal investigation has been launched, as criticism mounted over a social media post accusing the airline of failing to offer sufficient employee protections. According to the post, the flight attendant complained of feeling sick on board a flight, but was unable to take sick leave or access medical care. The crew member allegedly did not receive assistance from the chief purser, who failed to heed their requests for medical attention or call an ambulance once the flight landed, the post said. As sick
INDUSTRY: Beijing’s latest export measures go beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related tech, an academic said Taiwanese industries could face significant disruption from China’s newly tightened export controls on rare earth elements, as much of Taiwan’s supply indirectly depends on Chinese materials processed in Japan, a local expert said yesterday. Kristy Hsu (徐遵慈), director of the Taiwan ASEAN Studies Center at the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research, said that China’s latest export measures go far beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related technologies. With Japan and Southeast Asian countries among those expected to be hit, Taiwan could feel the impact through its reliance on Japanese-made semi-finished products and