On April 9, Taiwan established a Marine Pollution Control Fund committee. Seeing this news brought back memories of 2001, when the Amorgos — a Greek-registered freighter — ran aground near Kenting National Park in Pingtung County due to bad weather, causing an oil spill that severely damaged the coral reef ecosystem in the park’s Long Keng Ecological Reserve (龍坑生態保護區).
The incident sounded a major alarm for Taiwan’s ability to respond to marine oil pollution and began a new chapter in pollution prevention and control.
At that time, the Marine Pollution Control Act (海洋污染防治法) was still incomplete, and response mechanisms were slow to activate — as a result, the 1,150 tonnes of fuel oil remaining on the ship were not handled properly and contaminated the coastal reefs in the reserve. The cleanup ultimately took six months, mobilizing tens of thousands of people and coming at a very high cost.
The incident was not only an environmental catastrophe, but also a stress test of Taiwan’s governance, marine environmental protection measures and capabilities in international negotiations.
This painful experience catalyzed political and systemic reform. The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) — which is now the Ministry of Environment — accelerated the establishment of supporting measures in the act. After the Ocean Affairs Council was established in 2018, the Ocean Conservation Administration (OCA) assumed the responsibility of tasks related to marine pollution prevention.
Amendments to the act were passed last year, which increased penalties for contravening it, established a dedicated Marine Pollution Control fund, introduced measures for rewarding people who report contraventions and aligned Taiwan’s regulations with international conventions, making the country’s legal framework more resilient.
However, immediately following these major revisions, Taiwan was faced with several intense typhoons. Last year, the OCA had to deal with the impact of Typhoon Gaemi, Super Typhoon Kong-rey and others, with 11 ships wrecked by the storms.
Each instance challenged Taiwan’s ability to handle large disasters, from rapid reporting, deployment of emergency equipment and satellite monitoring, to on-site command and post-disaster monitoring and restoration. Each stage of disaster response highlighted the importance of regulations and institutionalization, as well as the need for technological advancement.
The government’s success demonstrated its accumulated experience and development efforts that have persisted since the Amorgos incident.
Marine governance is related to more than environmental ecology — it is also closely linked to overall industrial risk management. As the effects of climate change worsen and extreme weather events occur with increased frequency, ship groundings and marine pollution are no longer anomalies.
For a country that relies heavily on shipping and exports, marine pollution is not merely an environmental issue — it is also a source of significant economic risk. Given the current global economic turmoil, industrial transformation and environmental risk management are inextricable.
The institutional experience accumulated after the Amorgos incident is a valuable asset for marine governance. As this year is the 24th anniversary of the incident, now is a time to reflect on the lessons learned and recognize new opportunities — marine oil pollution prevention is not just a cost, it is an investment toward mitigating risks, and even more so a necessary condition for industrial transformation and sustainable development.
Yang Lei is a retired professor and honorary president of the Taiwan Ocean Pollution Control Association.
Translated by Kyra Gustavsen
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