A China-registered cargo ship has been abandoned in waters off the northeast coast of New Taipei, not far from Yehliu. The vessel had just departed from the Port of Keelung, loaded with three cranes. The heavy load and stormy seas caused the crew to lose control of the vessel. The 17 crew members were rescued by Taiwan’s Coast Guard on Tuesday evening and taken to a hotel in Keelung. Earlier this month, the vessel had knocked down a crane at the port. The incident has raised concerns about China potentially using accidents like these to sabotage national security in Taiwan.
On Tuesday evening, the Taiwan Coast Guard launched a search and rescue operation for the crew trapped on the Yu Zhou Qi Hang, a China-registered cargo ship. All 17 crew members were rescued and taken to a hotel in Keelung to rest.
Amid the passing typhoon and strong winds, the vessel was found dragging its anchor on Wednesday noon as it approached the coast of Yehliu in New Taipei.
On the 14 of this month, the Chinese vessel had knocked down a quay crane at Keelung Port’s Pier 20. It had been scheduled to return to China on Tuesday morning carrying three cranes. The heavy load and the stormy weather caused the vessel to lose its ability to navigate, and the ship captain decided to abandon it off the coast of Yehliu.
Su Tzu-yun
Institute for National Defense Security Research
These kinds of Chinese maritime incidents can have an impact on Taiwan.
Back in July 2023, a Palau-flagged container ship called Angel sank near the Port of Kaohsiung. The more than 600 empty shipping containers it had been carrying were left floating astray off the coast of Kaohsiung and Pingtung, posing a risk to marine transport. In addition, the vessel released some 500 tons of oil, severely polluting the sea. Both incidents happened just ahead of the approach of a typhoon, but in the case of the Angel, the operator was an Azerbaijan-registered company. As far back as 2021, an Orient Overseas Container Line vessel collided against a crane belonging to Yang Ming Marine Corporation at the Port of Kaohsiung. The constant incidents have raised concerns about national security.
Su Tzu-yun
Institute for National Defense Security Research
In 2012, China signed a shipping agreement with Taiwan, to open up major ports in Taiwan to load and unload vessels and moor. If we’re not vigilant, China could exploit this and use car carrier vessels to transport PLA equipment that could be used to assist in a landing operation.
Meanwhile on social media, chemical engineer Lai Cheng-yung pointed out that the large amount of fuel on the Yu Zhou Qi Hang could potentially leak and cause an environmental disaster in the northeast coast. Amid China’s gray-zone tactics, every incident is worth close scrutiny.
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