SIMIC

AROUND 600 containers are reported lost from a feeder container ship that sank at the port of Kaohsiung in Taiwan.

The Palau-registered, 1,262-TEU Angel (built 2003) developed a serious list thought to be caused by water ingress just outside the port.



Work has been ongoing to recover about 600 containers that fell into the ocean after the vessel sank while anchored off Kaohsiung port, according to the Kaohsiung Branch of Taiwan International Ports Co, reports Focus Taiwan.



The company said it is working with Kaohsiung City government, the Coast Guard Administration, Kaohsiung Harbor Bureau and Fisheries Agency and 17 vessels were sent Saturday to retrieve the containers, many of which have been spotted floating in water off the city's Linyuan District and Donggang Township.



Although it could take up to five days to recover all the containers, progress will depend largely on marine conditions, according to the company, which has dispatched a total of 39 boats since July 20, when the captain of the Angel issued a distress message.



A salvage team is reported to have checked the ship last Sunday, seal vents connected to the oil tanks and pump out the oil to avoid any leakage, the company said.



The ship reportedly contains 393.4 metric tonnes of low sulfur fuel, 98.1 metric tonnes of light diesel and 0.348 metric tonnes of lubricating oil.