Typhoon Gaemi has claimed its first shipping casualties. Early this morning local time (25 July), an oil tanker capsized in Philippine waters, killing one of its 17 crewmen. Around the same time, a cargo ship sank in Taiwan, and its nine crew members remain missing.
In the first incident, a domestic Philippines tanker, Terra Nova, which was laden with 1.4 million tonnes of fuel oil, capsized in Manila Bay, while on its way to Iloilo, after departing Limay. The tanker sank rapidly, leaving a 3.7km long oil slick. Sixteen of the 17 crewmen were rescued, while the body of the dead seafarer was retrieved from the waters.
Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Rear Admiral Armando Balilo told in a media briefing that his team was “racing against time” to contain the oil spill with dispersants and booms, as strong winds and high waves were challenging their efforts.
Rear-Adm Balilo cautioned that if all the fuel oil in Terra Nova leaks, it will be the largest oil spill in the country’s history. The coast guard has given itself seven days to siphon all oil that has flowed into the sea. When Terra Nova set out, there were no signals warning of the typhoon, meaning that the tanker had not flouted any rules against sailing in heavy weather.
Around the same time, the Taiwan Coast Guard received a distress call from the 1985-built Tanzania-flagged 698 dwt general cargo ship, Fu Shun, which sank about 19 nautical miles off Kaohsiung. S&P Global data shows that Fu Shun is owned by Marshall Islands-incorporated Java Ship Management.
Fu Shun’s nine crew members are missing, and the Taiwan Coast Guard has sent a Black Hawk helicopter to search for them. Patrol vessels are still looking for the crew, but are hampered by ongoing strong winds.
Gaemi made landfall in Taiwan on 24 July midnight, and according to Taiwan Coast Guard, two ships ran aground as a result of the heavy rain and strong winds. The ships were the Indonesia-flagged Iriana, a 2017-built 10,306 dwt cement carrier belonging to Andalas Bahtera Baruna and the Portugal-flagged Sopfia, a 1997-built 1,488 dwt general cargo vessel. Iriana was grounded a mile off Fangshan, while Sopfia was grounded off An-Ping. None of the crew on both ships were hurt.
Martina Li
Asia Correspondent
