A vessel ferrying passengers from Taiwan to the Matsu Islands drifted at sea for several hours yesterday because of power troubles, leaving 389 passengers stuck at sea, according to the Maritime and Port Bureau.
The bureau said in a statement that the Taima Star ferry left the Port of Keelung on Friday night at 10:15 pm on a routine voyage to the Matsu Islands and was scheduled to arrive at Fuao Harbor on the island of Nangan (南竿) at around 6 am yesterday.
Just after 4 am, however, the vessel, which had 389 passengers on board, experienced a loss of power while still on its way to Nangan.
Photo courtesy of Lienchiang County Government
According to the bureau, its maritime safety system discovered that something was wrong at 4:32 am when it noticed that the Taima Star’s speed had fallen unexpectedly about 53 kilometers away from Nangan Island.
After it contacted the ferry’s operator, the bureau learned that the ferry suddenly had problems supplying power to its engines. A push boat was later deployed from Baisha Harbor on Beigan Island at 10:30 am to tow the ferry to Fuao Harbor.
The push boat and Taima Star finally arrived at the destination just before 3 pm yesterday.
Upon arrival, Lienchiang County, which administers the Matsu Islands, gave the passengers food and NT$600 (US $19.56) in compensation.
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