The owner of an Iranian container vessel paid a fine of US$51,150 to the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) for the illegal discharge of waste fuel off the coast of Kaohsiung in October last year.
What happened?
On October 9, 2017, the European Union satellite captured images of a ship discharging waste fuel off the coast of Kaohsiung.
Subsequently, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) were asked to help interpret the image.
Dumped waste oil into Sea
From the satellite image, it was found that the ship discharged about 5 tonnes of waste oil for at least two or three hours, leaving a pollution track that was almost 60 km long.
Despite the scope of the pollution, it did not require much clean-up work, as the pollutants had been carried away by fast-moving currents and evaporated which was determined by a one-week monitoring mission.
Owner fined
The EPA decided to fine the ship’s owner NT$1.5 million for contravening Article 29 of the Marine Pollution Control Act, but officials spent months trying to track down the owner.
After learning the ship would arrive at the Port of Kaohsiung on March 6, the EPA called a meeting with Coast Guard Administration and ministry officials to organize an inspection visit once the ship was moored.
The Taiwanese agent for the ship handed over the check at a meeting in Kaohsiung with EPA and other officials. Furthermore, the ship’s corporate executives must also attend an eight-hour session on protecting the environment.
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Source: Taipei Times
