South Korean Ship Carrying Chemicals Capsizes Off Taiwan Coast
Posted on: Monday, 10 October 2005, 15:01 CDT
Text of report by Han Nai-kuo, carried in English by Taiwanese Central News Agency website
Taipei, 10 October: The South Korean cargo ship Samho Brother that overturned following a collision off Hsinchu on Taiwan's northwest coast, carries 3,140 cu.m. of benzene, which could pose a hazard to fishing vessels operating in the area, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) warned Monday [10 October].
CGA officials said they had notified the Chemical Disaster Prevention Centre for northern Taiwan to send experts to inspect whether the harmful chemical has leaked into the sea. At the same time, fishery radio stations were asked to warn fishing vessels to stay away from the area, located about nine nautical miles west of Hsinchu.
In addition to benzene, the ship was carrying 85 tons of fuel oil and 16 tons of diesel. An oil slick on the surface of the sea could been seen clearly from TV pictures.
Benzene, made mostly from petroleum sources, is toxic and highly flammable, and can dissolve slightly in water. It is used for manufacturing rubber, lubricants, dyes, detergents and pesticides. The chemical is known to cause leukaemia in humans when its fumes are breathed at industrial exposure levels.
The Environmental Protection Administration formed an emergency task force in an attempt to control the pollution.
The 3,561-ton freighter collided with a container ship - believed to be the 13,629-ton TS Hong Kong registered in Liberia - early Monday morning. It overturned nine hours later.
The CGA sent four boats and two helicopters and rescued all 14 crew members from the ship.
The TS Hongkong is now in Keelung Harbour, northern Taiwan. Experts from the CGA who examined the ship found clear collision marks on its starboard side and are trying to determine the responsibility for the accident.
Source: BBC Monitoring Asia Pacific
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