One seafarer missing as product tanker grounds off Taiwan
14 seafarers have been saved while a Chinese seafarer is still missing
The tanker ran aground with empty tanks. There are no reports of an oil spill thus far
PANAMA-flagged product tanker Liquid Gem (IMO: 8688717) grounded in Taiwan’s Taichung port on Saturday, with a seafarer missing but no sign of an oil spill so far.
The coast guard of Taichung, which is located in the northwest of Taiwan, discovered the tanker grounded in the port around 23:00 on Saturday with a main engine failure, according to a statement released on Monday.
Among the 15 seafarers on board, which include 11 from Indonesia, one from Taiwan, and three from China, 14 were rescued and transported to the hospital on Sunday, while a Chinese seafarer remained missing as of Monday afternoon, according to the coast guard and Taichung port.
The 5,434 dwt tanker was empty of cargo when it ran aground. It is estimated that there are only around four to five tonnes of light diesel on board for daily use, the port said in a briefing to local media on Monday afternoon.
To prevent oil spills, oil extraction operations are scheduled to start on Tuesday morning.
Built in 2015, the tanker is owned by Hong Kong-based Grand Dragon Shipping Management.
Taichung port has been contacted for comment.
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