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Nighttime implosion of the maritime giant "Angel", paralyzes the entry of other ships in an important Asian port
Thursday, July 21, marked the beginning of a maritime catastrophe when a container ship in the port of Kaohsiung, in Taiwan, began to sink irretrievably. The frantic attempt to stabilize the ship anchored near the harbor entrance proved ineffective. The vessel that had been vacated on Thursday continued to gulp water, finally submerging with oil in its interior on Friday, spilling empty containers across the busy waterway.
Port officials were forced to halt transit at one of the entrances to Kaohsiung on Thursday, and a second entrance was suspended as they struggled to contain more than 1.300 containers aboard the vessel. Port operations were only partially resumed, with warnings of danger due to the presence of containers.
Facing the Chaos: Authorities Actions and Threats to Fishing and Navigation
To the south, coastal authorities have also issued warnings to the fishing industry and shipping vessels, predicting that the containers are likely to cause disruptions to their waterways.
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The “Angel”, a 21-year veteran container ship, had been anchored about 2,8 nautical miles from Kaohsiung since its arrival from Dalian, China, on 4 July. On the fateful morning of Thursday, the ship's captain informed the port team about the state of emergency and gave the order to abandon ship to the 19 crew members. Rescue efforts began immediately, transferring the crew to shore and port and trying to stabilize the ship.
the fate of ship and details about recent ownership and operations remain unclear. Equasis, a maritime information database, identifies Navramar Shipping of the Marshall Islands as the owner of the vessel, acquired in May 2023. The vessel was registered in Palau, and management is listed as based in Azerbaijan. However, database reports indicate that the vessel was removed from the Indian register and by the DNV in early June, leaving the vessel's current classification unknown.
The Fight Continues: Monitoring and Owner Responsibilities
The port authority, in collaboration with the Coast Guard, is monitoring the area around the sunken vessel. Nearly 500 tonnes of low sulfur fuel and light diesel were on board, which required the deployment of oil containment booms.
By law, the ship owner is required to submit a salvage plan to the port. Authorities are asking managers to come up with a plan for removing the oil from the ship, dealing with containers floating in the waterways, and for the eventual refloating and removal of the hull. The chaos plaguing the port of Kaohsiung underscores the ongoing need for security and planning in the maritime industry.
