On Wednesday, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) said that it was working closely with Australian authorities to conduct a criminal investigation into a devastating oil spill near Green Island last month.
Approximately one-third of Green Island’s coast, an 8-kilometer stretch, was polluted by the ship’s fuel oil early last month.
Officials allowed to board suspect ship:
Based on the terms of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), the Australian Maritime Safety Authority agreed to let Taiwan’s Transportation Ministry officials and investigators board a foreign ship they suspect had leaked oil near the Coast of Green Island.
EPA Minister Lee Ying-yuan said at a press conference on Wednesday that Taiwan had been authorized, for the first time on record, to board a foreign ship to collect evidence for criminal investigation.
Lee showed reporters a document that Australian environmental authorities had sent to the person in charge of the suspected vessel, ordering that Taiwanese authorities be allowed to board the vessel for investigation.
The cooperation between the two governments is of high significance, given that Taiwan is not one of the signatories of MARPOL, Lee said.
Records examined:
The ship in question is currently stationed in Esperance, south-western Australia, and Academia Sinica researcher Cheng Ming-hsiu said at the press conference.
The Taiwanese and Australian investigating team has so far examined the ship’s refuelling records, receipts, navigation plans and the pipeline closest to the exhaust valve, but has found no evidence showing that the ship had dumped the oil.
Ship denies oil leak claims:
The person in charge of the ship also denied that there was an oil leak, investigators said via web conference during Wednesday’s press conference.
Oil samples collected from seven of the ship’s oil tanks will be sent for an assay after investigators return from Australia, with results due a week later, Cheng said.
Preliminary Results:
Though the investigation has yet to uncover evidence proving the ship is the culprit, EPA Deputy Minister Chan Shun-kuei said that at the very least, the probe is Taiwan’s first experience combating ships’ oil pollution in partnership with international forces, establishing a precedent that can be referred to in the future.
Huang Yuh-kae, an eminent oceanic expert and professor from Fu Jen Catholic University’s Department of Financial and Economic Law, said that if the assay results proved that the ship’s oil matched the leaked oil, “it would be easy to ask for compensation in accordance with international maritime treaties.”
EPA Water Quality Protection chief Yeh Chun-hung said that the cleanup process, completed on March 24, removed a total of 5,884 kilograms of oil and garbage near Green Island and cost the EPA NT$2 million.
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Source: China Post Online
