A commercial Taiwanese fishing boat that last week went missing in the middle of the Pacific Ocean has been located, but there were no signs of the crew, the Suao Fishermen’s Association said on Monday.
The National Rescue Command Center was informed of the missing vessel — the Suao-registered Yong Yu Sing No. 18 — after its owner reported on Friday last week that he lost contact with the captain on Wednesday last week, association head Tsai Yuan-lung (蔡源龍) said.
The center sought assistance from US authorities and a US fixed-wing search-and-rescue aircraft found the missing boat about 606 nautical miles (1,122km) northeast of Midway Atoll on Saturday last week, Tsai said.
Photo: CNA
Observers on the plane noticed that the windows of the captain’s cabin had been smashed, raising the possibility that the cause might have also damaged the vessel’s communications equipment, he added.
The vessel appeared to be drifting, suggesting that it had lost power, he said, adding that the Taiwanese captain and his nine Indonesian crew members were missing.
When the owner lost contact with the Yong Yu Sing, it was reported to be about 527 nautical miles northeast of Midway Atoll.
No distress calls were received, the association said.
Taiwanese vessel the Chin Ching Fu No. 66 is about 80 nautical miles from the Yong Yu Sing, but prevailing storm-like conditions have prevented it from approaching, said people familiar with the local industry, who spoke on condition of anonymity, adding that the vessel would check on the crew as soon as the weather allows.
The Fisheries Agency said that four other Taiwanese vessels are in the area and willing to give assistance when sea conditions improve.
The Yong Yu Sing is listed as a 99-tonne tuna longliner on the Web site of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission, of which Taiwan is a member.
Additional reporting by Chien Hui-ju and Chiang Chih-hsiung
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
A NT$39 receipt for two bottles of tea at a FamilyMart was among the NT$10 million (US $312,969) special prize winners in the January-February uniform invoice lottery. FamilyMart said that two NT$10 million-winning receipts were issued at its stores, as well as two NT$2 million grand prizes and three NT$200,000 first prizes. The two NT$10 million receipts were issued at stores in Pingtung County and Yilan County’s Dongshan Township (冬山). One winner spent just NT$39 on two bottles of tea, while another spent NT$80 on water, tea and coffee, the company said. Meanwhile, 7-Eleven reported three NT$10 million winners — in New Taipei
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the first case of a new COVID-19 subvariant — BA.3.2 — in a 10-year-old Singaporean girl who had a fever upon arrival in Taiwan and tested positive for the disease. The girl left Taiwan on March 20 and the case did not have a direct impact on the local community, it said. The WHO added the BA.3.2 strain to its list of Variants Under Monitoring in December last year, but this was the first imported case of the COVID-19 variant in Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said. The girl arrived in Taiwan on
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are
RSS