A Chinese vessel that was abandoned at sea on Tuesday has run aground off the shore of New Taipei City’s Yehliu Geopark (野柳公園), with one of its onboard cranes having fallen over due to strong winds from Typhoon Kong-rei, the Maritime Port Bureau said today.
There is no oil leak for the time being and the situation is being watched closely, the bureau said, adding that the ship’s remaining 247 tons of oil would be extracted tomorrow when the weather improves.
Photo: Lin Chia-tung, Taipei Times
It would be extremely risky to tow the vessel for now as it has already been stranded, Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) said.
The ministry is working with the Ocean Conservation Administration and the New Taipei City Government to prevent any oil leakage along the coast, he added.
The ship is close to Yehliu Fishing Harbor in New Taipei City's Wanli District (萬里), New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (候友宜) said, adding: “Let’s stay cautious.”
Due to concerns about a potential oil leak, the New Taipei City Government has set up an emergency response center with the central government and a command center in Wanli District, he added.
He also warned that if there is significant marine pollution, the ship owner would be fined NT$30 million (US$940,000) under the Marine Pollution Control Act (海洋污染防治法).
The China-registered cargo ship, Yu Zhou Qi Hang (鈺洲啟航), departed from Keelung at 7:57am on Tuesday for Zhangzhou in China’s Fujian Province, but stalled in rough conditions 2.4 nautical miles (4.4km) north-northwest of Cape Yehliu (野柳岬) in New Taipei City three hours later.
The ship’s crew of 17 was rescued by the Coast Guard Administration and taken to Keelung by 10:05pm that night.
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