The people who dumped 23 oil drums in the ocean outside Chaojing Bay Conservation Area (潮境公園) would be brought to task using data provided by ships that were nearby, said Tsai Fu-ning (蔡馥嚀), head of the Keelung Department of Economic Affairs’ Marine Affairs division.
The perpetrators would be charged with contravening the Marine Pollution Control Act (海洋污染防治法), which could see them fined NT$300,000 to NT$1.5 million (US$9,651 to US$48,255), Tsai said yesterday.
Scuba diving coach Wang Ming-hsiang (王銘祥) and some of his students found the 23 drums outside the conservation area during a practice session on Wednesday, she said, adding that while Wang and the students removed the containers, 500m of seawater has been heavily contaminated.
Photo: Tsai Fu-ning, Taipei Times
The drums were full when dumped in the sea and are suspected of containing motor oil for ships, Tsai said.
Abandoning full oil drums was a terrible thing to do, as it polluted the sea and nature, Wang said.
His students said that the act was unbelievable.
The containers were found in the area from Elephant Trunk Rock (象鼻岩) to the zone demarcating the border of New Taipei City and Keelung, and were relatively close together, Tsai said, adding that Wang had discovered the drums shortly after they were dumped, preventing them from being carried into the conservation area and causing an even greater disaster.
The area near Wanghaisiang (望海巷) harbor has been designated a conservation zone since 2016 and there is an outright ban on capturing any animals in it, with fish and coral in the area more populous.
The area has earned the name “Secret Garden” among divers and snorkelers, and has become a popular area for snorkeling.
The Coast Guard Administration said that it is looking at data provided by ships to track down the perpetrator.
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
Taiwan would benefit from more integrated military strategies and deployments if the US and its allies treat the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea as a “single theater of operations,” a Taiwanese military expert said yesterday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said he made the assessment after two Japanese military experts warned of emerging threats from China based on a drill conducted this month by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theater Command. Japan Institute for National Fundamentals researcher Maki Nakagawa said the drill differed from the
A rally held by opposition parties yesterday demonstrates that Taiwan is a democratic country, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that if opposition parties really want to fight dictatorship, they should fight it on Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) held a protest with the theme “against green communists and dictatorship,” and was joined by the Taiwan People’s Party. Lai said the opposition parties are against what they called the “green communists,” but do not fight against the “Chinese communists,” adding that if they really want to fight dictatorship, they should go to the right place and face
RSS