More than 1,100 pieces of mail and packages were lost on Wednesday last week when the Chia Ming cargo ship sunk, Chunghwa Post said yesterday, adding that it would compensate the senders based on package weight if they did not declare the value of contained goods.
The ship, which departed from Penghu County’s Magong Port for the main island, became grounded and then sank near Dongji Island (東吉嶼) after the engine blade became entangled with a deserted net. The ship owner decided not to salvage the remains.
The ship carried 930 pieces of mail and 231 packages, most of which belonged to National Penghu University of Science and Technology students who were sending personal belongings home before winter vacation, Chunghwa Post Department of Mail Business and Operations director Welson Hsueh (薛門騫) said.
It was the first time the company has lost mail and packages in a shipwreck, he said.
The firm has informed all of the senders and is to send compensation based on postal service regulations, Hsueh said.
Senders who did not declare the value of goods contained in their packages would be compensated based on package weight instead, Hsueh said, adding that compensation for packages weighing under 5kg is NT$575 each, while senders of those weighing between 5kg and 10kg would receive NT$865.
However, a female student surnamed Lin (林) who lost multiple packages in the shipwreck told reporters that she found the meager compensation unacceptable, adding that she did not declare the value of the goods, because she did not expect that the packages would be destroyed.
Lin said her package contained some items of clothing and a duvet worth more than NT$6,000, as well as a cap and a gown that she rented for her graduation and had planned to wear for family photographs.
The company would compensate according to regulations, which stipulate that declared values are to be reimbursed with a NT$4 fee per NT$1,000 in declared value, Hsueh said.
If a sender has declared that the goods are worth NT$10,000 and paid a NT$40 fee for them, the company must pay NT$10,000 if the packages are damaged or destroyed, Hsueh said.
The company would handle Lin’s case based on the regulations, Hsueh said, adding that it would consider the possibility of handling similar cases differently.
The company is also to seek restitution from the shipping company for damages, Hsueh added.
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