A smaller container ship anchored off Taiwan’s Kaohsiung port faced a dangerous situation and had to be evacuated. The ship, called “The Angel,” is 21 years old and arrived in Taiwan from Dalian, China, on July 4. It’s registered in Palau and has a capacity of 1,262 containers.
Early on July 20, the ship’s captain sent out a distress call to the Kaohsiung Harbor Bureau, informing them that the vessel was tilting to one side by about 8 to 9 degrees. Several containers had fallen into the ocean, and water was entering the ship’s hull. There were even reports of a possible crack in the hull.
In response to the distress call, the captain made the decision to abandon the ship, and all 19 crew members boarded lifeboats. The Coast Guard sent patrol boats to help transfer the crew to safety on the shore. Later, tugboats were dispatched to handle the salvage operations.
The ship is quite large, measuring 564 feet in length, and it was carrying around 500 tons of low sulfur fuel and light diesel. To prevent potential oil leaks, authorities placed two containment booms around the ship. They also decided against towing the vessel to Cijin Shoal, fearing it might worsen the situation.
Local news reports indicate that the ship had been listing since the beginning of the week, gradually tilting more each day, which concerned nearby residents.
The vessel’s ownership is listed as Navramar Shipping, which acquired the ship in May 2023, and its management is located in Azerbaijan. According to the Equasis database, the ship’s class is unknown, and it was removed from the Indian registry by DNV at the beginning of June. The database also notes that there hasn’t been a Port State inspection since 2018.
