Fourth Attempt to Free Stranded Ship Successful 貨輪擱淺台東富岡2週 減輕船重終脫困

A Belize-registered freighter ran aground near Taitung's Fugang Harbor on March 8. After three failed attempts, the freighter was finally able to return to deeper waters on the 22.

At 8 a.m. on March 22, two tugboats made a fourth attempt to tow a 6,000-ton freighter that had run aground near Taitung's Fugang Fishing Harbor back into deeper waters. The hull swayed a little, and then the vessel began moving. Previously, containers weighing 1,600 tons were removed from the freighter to facilitate this operation.

Liu Chih-hung, Deputy Director-General, Maritime and Port Bureau: “The ship will now be inspected as it floats in the waters off of Taitung. If no problems are found with the hull, then it will be towed to the Port of Kaohsiung within one or two days for repairs and to discharge the cargo.  ”

The Belize-registered freighter ran aground on March 8 after its engine malfunctioned. The Maritime and Port Bureau said it has been in constant contact with the owner about the operation, and will issue a fine in accordance with regulations. Three attempts were made to tow the ship before the fourth successful attempt. However, the ship was too heavy to be towed. The bureau finally asked a crane operator to come and offload containers. It said the total cost is about NT$90 million, and it will charge the owner.

Liu Chih-hung, Deputy Director-General, Maritime and Port Bureau: “As of now, we spent nearly US$3 million. We will speak with the ship owner and related units about compensation.”

The bureau's preliminary evaluation is that the hull was not damaged, so there should be no issues with oil spills. Nevertheless, it will continue to monitor the situation.

22日早上8時左右，富岡外海兩艘救援拖船，第4次嘗試把這艘6千多噸的擱淺貨輪拖離岸邊，船身晃動了一下，終於把御載船上1600噸貨櫃、減輕重量的貨輪拖回海上。

航港局副局長劉志鴻表示:「現在這艘船會在台東外海再做檢視，如果船體整個沒有問題的話，會在一兩天以後就把它拖到高雄港，做修補跟卸貨的動作。」

這艘貝里斯籍的貨輪是3月8日，因為引擎故障擱淺在台東富岡海邊，到22日剛好滿2個星期。航港局表示，一直聯絡船公司處理擱淺拖離作業，也依相關法律規定開罰，可是先前的3次拖離作業，都因為船重太重，無法拖走，最後航港局請來大型吊掛業者協助吊離船上貨櫃，拖船才有辦法把船拖走，航港局說，這筆費用合台幣大約將近9千萬元，會向船公司求償。

航港局副局長劉志鴻指出:「目前的花費大概將近300萬美金左右，這個部分會跟船東跟相關單位來做求償。」

航港局初步評估這艘擱淺貨輪船身沒有受損，還不至於有漏油的問題，會再密切注意。