Update 2024/07/25, 20:50 p.m.
Two crew members from the sunken Tanzanian freighter Fu Shun were rescued on Thursday (July 25) after they were found by locals on the coast. Another crew member was later found near Fengbitou in Kaohsiung’s Seagoing District. Six crew were still missing.
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Nine Myanmar crew members were missing after the Tanzanian-flagged freighter, the Fu Shun, sank off the coast of Kaohsiung on Thursday (July 25) morning.
The Central Emergency Operation Center (CEOC) reported the Fu Shun began listing about 19 nautical miles (35 km) off Kaohsiung around 5:45 a.m. and sank about an hour later. A Taiwanese vessel, the China Steel Sustainability, responded to the CEOC’s broadcast to render aid for vessels near the Fun Shun, but was unable to locate the ship or its crew, per PTS News.
Rough seas and high winds hampered search and rescue efforts. Authorities said they would monitor weather conditions and deploy rescue teams as soon as possible.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communication (MOTC) established an emergency response team to prioritize crew safety and oil spill prevention. The agency reported that five other ships had run aground around Taiwan's coast but were not at risk of leaking fuel and their crews were safe.
These vessels included the:
- Indonesian-flagged Iriana
- Mongolian-flagged Basia
- Cameroon-flagged Ginan near Pingtung County
- Portuguese-flagged Sofia off the coast of Tainan
- Tanzanian-flagged Xin Li off the coast of Kaoshiung
MOTC Minister Li Men-yen (李孟諺) ordered agencies to closely monitor sea conditions and prepare for rescue operations and potential oil spills for the grounded ships.