OCEAN GLORY
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Investigation in ship sinking launched
The Taiwanese Coastguard on Mar 20 was still searching for the captain and engineer of the "Ocean Glory". After the cargo had started to shift, the master had informed the Maritime and Port Bureau officials he was returning to Keelung Harbor, but the ship sank before it reached safety. The ship was equipped with rescue boats, but crew members did not release them because they only had time to strap on life jackets, indicating that the vessel sank quickly. The bureau would investigate whether the company misreported the cargo the ship was carrying and why the ship set sail a day late instead of Mar 18, as scheduled. They will also look into what the master told the company before the ship sank and who ordered the ship to set sail when it was one crew member short. The company had reported that 16 crew members were on board when, in fact, the chief engineer had missed the ship. Although his absence did not directly cause the incident, his absence constitutes a violation and he could face a maximum fine of NT$300,000. The engineer had told the bureau that he had returned home to take medication because of a cold. The bureau asked him to provide a more detailed explanation for his absence.
Six dead and two missing after sinking in stormy seas
The "Ocean Glory" sank off the northern coast of Taiwan on Mar 19, 2012, with a cargo of gravel. The Taiwanese gravel vessel had left Keelung around midnight, but ran aground two hours later at some five nautical miles off Keelung, and sank later. The Keelung Coastguard managed to locate 13 of the 15 crewmen and sent them to Keelung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and the Keelung branch of Tri-Service General Hospital for emergency treatment. Four Indonesians and two Taiwan sailors were declared dead on arrival at the hospitals. Seven others were rescued. Two sailors, including the captain, were missing. The accident occurred about an hour after the ship left the harbor en route to Hualien on Taiwan’s eastern coast. The ship sent distress calls and capsized. Heavy fog or rough seas may have contributed to the accident.
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