The Navy Command is to seek compensation from the operators of a Saudi Arabia-registered tanker that collided with a navy vessel docked at the Port of Keelung early yesterday morning, it said in a statement.
The incident occurred at about 1:30am, when Saudi Arabian oil and chemical tanker NCC SAMA accidentally hit the Chi Yang-class frigate Ning Yang while entering a port terminal.
No one was injured, but the navy vessel sustained a dent on the port side bow upon impact, the Navy Command said.
Photo: CNA
The SAMA was scheduled to unload 3,100 tonnes of ethylene glycol in Keelung.
Neither ship reported any leaks following the collision, the Maritime and Port Bureau said.
According to MarineTraffic, a database that monitors vessels and their movements, the 29,168-tonne tanker was sailing from the Port of Taichung when the accident occurred.
The frigate would be repaired, the navy said, adding that it would seek compensation for the damage in accordance with the law.
The Saudi vessel has been ordered not to leave port pending an investigation of the incident by the authorities, the bureau said.
The Ning Yang served the US Navy from 1971 to 1992 as the USS Aylwin before it was decommissioned and sold to Taiwan.
The ship, originally a Knox-class frigate, patrols the east coast with potential submarine incursions as its main focus.
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