On February 3, a cargo vessel was reportedly grounded off Zhuwei Fishing Harbor, Taoyuan and caused oil pollution.
What happened?
The cargo vessel ‘Hang Yu 11’ run aground off Zhuwei Fishing Harbor, Taoyuan was finally freed on February 21.
The Rescue Operation
The “Hang Yu 11,” which had run aground off Zhuwei Fishing Harbor, Taoyuan on Feb. 3, 2018, was finally freed on Feb 21. Salvors made use of the afternoon’s full tide and strong waves to deploy the tugs “Salvage Champion” and “Salvage Ace” with 10,000hp and 9,000hp, respectively, to free the “Hang Yu 11”.
Actions Taken
The shipowner had been asked to immediately carry out clean-up operations along the shore, remove residual oil and repair the hull. However, the failure of the shipowner to submit a plan to free the vessel before a deadline, resulted in it being fined in accordance with The Commercial Port Law.
On the first day the vessel ran aground, the ship’s crew reported that roughly 1,000 liters of grease leaked from the ship. The relevant agencies immediately launched pollution containment and clean-up work. Personnel were dispatched to monitor the area and inspect the daily progress of clean-up work.
The MPB also instructed the shipowner to remove any oil still on the ship, which was completed by Feb. 9, after technicians were moved onto the ship by crane.
Additional Damages
The refloating of the vessel was repeatedly delayed by bad weather in northern Taiwan while waves pushed the ship up against the port’s water breakers and onto tetrapods resulting in further damage, including to several cabins, the pump and engine rooms.
So, the prevailing weather conditions and additional damages caused further delay in the clean up procedure but now that the vessel is removed, all environmental concerns are taken care of.
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Source: Focus Taiwan
