TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Port authorities are in a race against time to remove shipping containers that were washed ashore at the Port of Kaohsiung as Tropical Storm Doksuri nears Taiwan.
After the large container ship Angel sank on Friday (July 21), its empty containers were sent floating in all directions, with some washing up into the port's shallow waters, per CNA. Transportation Minister Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材), who arrived at the scene on Tuesday, said the key task is dealing with 110 containers that had washed ashore onto concrete wave breakers before the typhoon hits Taiwan.
The Central Weather Bureau (CWB) issued a sea and land warning for the typhoon, and it is expected to come closest to Taiwan on Thursday. The containers in the port’s shallow waters are being prioritized as they are most at risk of being washed back out to sea.
A shipping container is pulled out of the ocean by port workers on Tuesday. (CNA photo)
Wang said that 303 containers have been recovered, 573 containers remain in the waters, and 160 containers have sunk to the bottom of the sea. Port of Kaohsiung general manager Wang Chin-jung (王錦榮) said that the port has machines that can bring 10 containers ashore every hour.
Regarding the oil spill from the ship, the transportation minister said that his ministry has already cooperated with the ocean administration wing to lay a boom to stop the oil from continuing to spread. Wang also said a decontamination ship was dispatched to keep an eye on weather developments as the typhoon bears down.
Wang said the Angel’s hull is about 37 meters below the ocean’s surface, and preliminary assessments indicate that waves caused by the coming typhoon will not impact the hull. However, Wang said it is important to prepare for the worst, and relevant authorities have been notified to respond to emergencies.
A boat passes a floating container from the ship Angel in Port of Kaohsiung. (CNA photo)
The ship Angel before it sank on Friday. (CNA photo)
