Environmental protection authorities are trying to figure out how to remove the remaining oil from a grounded ship off the northern coast of Taiwan. That was the word from Premier Chang San-cheng on Friday.
The ship – the TS Taipei -- went aground on March 10 after it lost power during a storm. The ship later split in two. Most of the oil on board has already been pumped out, but officials say the remaining oil cannot be removed with pumps.
On Friday, Premier Chang San-cheng inspected work on the ship. He said that although a new strategy is needed to remove the rest of the oil, for now the leak has been stopped.
The premier also said that eight containers considered to be dangerous have been removed from the deck of the vessel by crane. He said they are now ahead of schedule in their efforts to unload the rest of the containers from the ship. The premier said he hopes that the work can be completed within the next week, while the weather conditions are stable.
Chang said the Council of Agriculture has confirmed that fish stocks near the site of the wreckage show no signs of contamination. But he said that the council and a local fishermen’s association are moving to compensate those who were affected by damage to the intertidal zone.