Cargo ship sinks after hitting wharf in Taiwan

A cargo vessel sank after it accidentally allided with a wharf on Kinmen island, Taiwan, on Friday, August 2.

The cargo vessel Da Chuan was manoeuvring to berth prior to cargo unloading operations when its bow struck one of the concrete breakers at Wuqiu port at approximately 18:00 local time.

The impact left the hull seriously damaged, and the vessel began taking on water soon afterward.

Da Chuan‘s captain then sent out a distress call, which was received by the Taiwan Coast Guard and the local Taiwan Marine Corps garrison at Wuqiu.

Two lifeboat crews despatched by the coast guard and the marine corps arrived at the scene at around 18:40 and managed to rescue all 13 crewmembers from the sinking vessel.

Da Chuan had nearly completely submerged by 20:00. No oil spills have so far been reported.

The coast guard and the Kinmen Department of Environmental Protection have launched an investigation into the incident in addition to deploying oil-blocking equipment in the water around the sunken vessel in the event of a spill while the wreckage is being recovered.

The coast guard said that strong winds and waves had caused Da Chuan to allide with the wharf.