Video: Containership Evacuated After Listing and Losing Boxes

A smaller container ship anchored off Taiwan’s Kaohsiung port is listed and was evacuated today. The port authority temporarily closed the port as salvage teams were working to stabilize the vessel and retrieve containers that have fallen into the ocean.

The Angel is a 21-year-old containership that arrived in Taiwan on July 4 from Dalian, China. Registered in Palau, the vessel is 20,000 dwt and has a capacity of 1,262 TEU. The ship is anchored 2.8 nautical miles outside Kaohsiung harbor with reports that it was loaded with empties and awaiting orders. 

This morning, July 20, the master of the containership issued a distress message to the Kaohsiung Harbor Bureau reporting that the vessel had assumed an 8- to 9-degree list to port. At least six containers had gone overboard with the master reporting ingress of water into the hull. Some reports are suggesting that there is a crack in the hull.

The master reported that he had decided to abandon the ship ordering the 19 crew into lifeboats. The Coast Guard sent two patrol boats to assist and transfer the crew to shore. Later tugs were dispatched. Authorities ordered the port entrance near the vessel closed while they were working on a salvage plan.

 

 

The ship, which is 564 feet in length, is reported to be loaded with nearly 500 tons of low sulfur fuel and light diesel. The authorities ordered two containment booms strung around the ship fearing that it might begin leaking oil. Reports said that the authorities had blocked a plan to tow the ship to Cijin Shoal fearing it would leak oil or further lose stability.

Salvage crew are working to restore stability to the vessel while local news reports are saying that the vessel had begun listing at the beginning of the week. Residents told reporters they had been watching the ship as the list increased day by day.

The ownership of the vessel is reported in the Equasis database as Navramar Shipping which acquired the ship in May 2023. Management is listed as being located in Azerbaijan. Equasis shows the vessel’s class as unknown and reports it was removed from the Indian registry and by DNV as of the beginning of June. Further, the database does not list a Port State inspection since 2018.