Taiwan’s Environmental Protection Administration has prepared staff to clean up an oil spill left by the grounded container vessel TS Taipei. That’s the word from Ye Jun-hong, director of the Water Protection Department.
The ship went aground off Shimen Township on Taiwan’s northern coast on March 10 due to loss of propulsion power amid a powerful storm. All 21 crew members have been rescued.
According to Ye, the ship has cracked and split in two in the past days due to the impact of a strong swell, causing a significant oil spill from ruptured tanks. Ye said the environment agency has prepared staff to assist TS Liner, the company that owns the troubled ship, to pump out oil from the vessel.
Ye also said the ship is in danger of capsizing at any moment, which could lead to a massive leak of over 200 tons of heavy oil and nine other hazardous materials. Ye said authorities will have to blockade the area to deal with the potential environmental disaster.
Meanwhile, Premier Chang San-cheng has deicded to set up a task force to tackle the spill. The task force will be responsible for dealing with environmental pollution, supervise the payment of compensation, and minimize the impact of the wreck on nearby shipping lanes. Chang said accusations that the government reponse was slow are unfair because the safety of resuce workers is a top priority.