It became a compound series of problems as a bulker grounded as it was preparing to arrive at a port in Taiwan, and then the tug sent to rescue the grounded vessel also experienced problems requiring its own rescue. Bad weather forced Taiwan’s Air Service Corps into action after a crewmember was injured aboard the tug and required hospitalization.
The bulker CSE Prosperity Express (28,350 dwt) was arriving at Taiwan’s Hualien port on the eastern shore of the island on the morning of January 1 after a trip from Thailand. According to the reports, the ship was holding near the entrance to the port, waiting for a pilot, and being buffeted by strong northeasterly monsoon winds when it lost power and was driven toward shore.
The vessel, built in 2006 and operated by China Steel, is 169 meters (554 feet) and registered in Panama. It has a crew of 17 aboard, 12 from Taiwan and five from the Philippines. Unable to maneuver, it called for aid, and the Hualien Port Authority dispatched a tug.
The Coast Guard and local rescue services were dispatched, but due to the weather and high surf, they determined it was impossible to reach the tug to assist the crew. That’s when the Air Service Corps was called out, and they sent a helicopter, which did an aerial survey. The helicopter airlifted the five crewmembers from the grounded tug and transferred them to waiting ambulances. One crewmember had suffered a severe head laceration and was losing consciousness.
The Taiwan authorities report the bulker and its crew are in no immediate danger. They have dispatched a larger tug from the Keelung Port, which was expected to reach the bulker later in the evening.
