Sea vessels that are insured by Ascent General Insurance and three other insurance firms would from Sunday next week be banned from entering international commercial seaports in Taiwan for failing to actively resolve shipwreck-related disputes, the Maritime and Port Bureau said on Monday last week.
The bureau contacted Ascent General Insurance, Edinburgharian PANDI Management Limited, Polaris Insurance Co and Arsenal Insurance Company multiple times regarding shipwrecks of their insured vessels, but they were passive and did not take any action, it said.
As the four sea vessel insurers failed to fulfill their responsibilities, the bureau would ban their insured ships from entering the nation’s international commercial seaports to safeguard national interests and protect the public safety of seaports, it said.
Photo copied by Lin Chia-tung, Taipei Times
The policy applies to ship owners who have been insured by or have renewed insurance policies with the four insurers, it said.
The bureau would ensure that ships enter the nation’s seaports with insurance policies issued by valid insurers, it said.
In addition to these four insurers, the bureau previously designated East of England P&I Association Ltd and Hydor AS as unwelcome maritime insurers on Dec. 29, 2021 and Nov. 10 last year, respectively.
In a recent session of the Legislature’s Transportation Committee, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Jonathan Lin (林沛祥) called for a comprehensive overhaul in the nation’s ship insurance system, after the government was criticized for its handling of Chinese cargo ship Yu Zhou Qi Hang (鈺洲啟航), which was stranded off the nation’s northeast coast before Super Typhoon Kong-rey made landfall on Oct. 31.
Damage caused by shipwrecks should be fully covered by shipowners’ protection and indemnity insurance, he said.
Having hull insurance is not enough, as it only covers third-party liability and does not cover the costs of removing stranded ships, Lin said.
Ship insurers must be certified as valid organizations by QBE Insurance Group Ltd or other similar organizations, he said.
The agency that oversees and inspects the safety of foreign ships in domestic ports should conduct inspections every quarter, he said, adding that foreign ships should be asked to address safety issues immediately or they should be refused entry to the port.
SHIPS, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: The ministry has announced changes to varied transportation industries taking effect soon, with a number of effects for passengers Beginning next month, the post office is canceling signature upon delivery and written inquiry services for international registered small packets in accordance with the new policy of the Universal Postal Union, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The new policy does not apply to packets that are to be delivered to China, the ministry said. Senders of international registered small packets would receive a NT$10 rebate on postage if the packets are sent from Jan. 1 to March 31, it added. The ministry said that three other policies are also scheduled to take effect next month. International cruise ship operators
NUMBERS IMBALANCE: More than 4 million Taiwanese have visited China this year, while only about half a million Chinese have visited here Beijing has yet to respond to Taiwan’s requests for negotiation over matters related to the recovery of cross-strait tourism, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. Taiwan’s tourism authority issued the statement after Chinese-language daily the China Times reported yesterday that the government’s policy of banning group tours to China does not stop Taiwanese from visiting the country. As of October, more than 4.2 million had traveled to China this year, exceeding last year. Beijing estimated the number of Taiwanese tourists in China could reach 4.5 million this year. By contrast, only 500,000 Chinese tourists are expected in Taiwan, the report said. The report
The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency yesterday launched a gift box to market honey “certified by a Formosan black bear” in appreciation of a beekeeper’s amicable interaction with a honey-thieving bear. Beekeeper Chih Ming-chen (池明鎮) in January inspected his bee farm in Hualien County’s Jhuosi Township (卓溪) and found that more than 20 beehives had been destroyed and many hives were eaten, with bear droppings and paw prints near the destroyed hives, the agency said. Chih returned to the farm to move the remaining beehives away that evening when he encountered a Formosan black bear only 20m away, the agency said. The bear
HORROR STORIES: One victim recounted not realizing they had been stabbed and seeing people bleeding, while another recalled breaking down in tears after fleeing A man on Friday died after he tried to fight the knife-wielding suspect who went on a stabbing spree near two of Taipei’s busiest metro stations, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. The 57-year-old man, identified by his family name, Yu (余), encountered the suspect at Exit M7 of Taipei Main Station and immediately tried to stop him, but was fatally wounded and later died, Chiang said, calling the incident “heartbreaking.” Yu’s family would receive at least NT$5 million (US$158,584) in compensation through the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp’s (TRTC) insurance coverage, he said after convening an emergency security response meeting yesterday morning. National
RSS