The coast guard on Friday took a Chinese fishing boat and the 17 people on board into custody, after it rammed into a patrol boat while attempting to flee.
A 100-tonne coast guard vessel at about 8am discovered a Chinese fishing boat illegally operating in waters about 11 nautical miles (20.4km) northwest of Hsinchu, the Hsinchu offshore flotilla of the Coast Guard Administration said.
The crew refused to allow law enforcement to board the ship and attempted to flee, it added.
Photo: Taipei Times
The coast guard vessel and another ship chased the fishing boat for about a half hour, during which time the Chinese boat collided with the coast guard ship, it said.
No one was injured, but the port side railing, glass surrounding the cockpit and some lights were damaged, the coast guard said.
Due to poor sea conditions, the vessels were transported to the Port of Taipei, it said, adding that further details would be announced after investigations are completed.
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