According to Taiwanese media reports, in October last year during a typhoon, a mainland cargo ship, the “Yu Zhou Qi Hang,” ran aground off Yehliu Cape in New Taipei City due to a dragging anchor. After completing the removal of residual oil from the ship in January this year, the ship was successfully refloated and freed from the shallows on September 14. After 48 hours of observation to confirm the hull’s stability, it was towed by tugboats to South Korea for scrapping at 3 PM on the 17th.
The “Yu Zhou Qi Hang” ran aground after losing power due to a typhoon on October 31, 2024, with 284 tons of residual oil on board, posing a serious threat to the environment of the northern coast at one point. The Maritime and Port Bureau (航港局) made every effort to cooperate fully with the Ocean Conservation Administration (海保署), the Coast Guard Administration (海巡署), relevant local governments, and maritime industry operators. The complete removal of all residual oil was accomplished on January 14, successfully averting the risk of oil pollution.
The Maritime and Port Bureau pointed out that the location of the “Yu Zhou Qi Hang’s” grounding was in Yehliu Cape Bay, and the operation environment was extremely harsh and challenging after enduring strong northeast monsoon attacks. To supervise the project’s progress, the Director of the Maritime and Port Bureau, Ye Xielong, personally chaired emergency response and residual oil removal supervision meetings since the incident occurred. The ecological crisis in the Yehliu waters was declared resolved.
Starting in April this year, the 3,000-metric-ton bridge crane was successively dismantled. A Dutch professional engineering team assessed the hull structure, conducted repairs, and performed watertight pressure tests, paving the way for the refloating of the hull.
Since June this year, the Maritime and Port Bureau has held weekly progress control meetings for the removal of the ship and cargo, urging the removal team to actively carry out the removal operations. The hull removal operation, originally scheduled for completion by the end of August, was slightly delayed due to consecutive typhoons and low-pressure systems in July.
After the “Yu Zhou Qi Hang” was successfully refloated on the 14th, it was temporarily moved to deep water for a 48-hour static observation. The Maritime and Port Bureau required the hull to be verified by a third-party notary unit and for a notarized certificate to be issued to ensure the hull’s stability and its ability to withstand long-distance towing. Furthermore, although the residual oil had been removed and the oil tanks cleaned, oil spill containment booms were deployed around the area to ensure no possible oil leakage.
After confirmation by the third-party notary unit that the hull was stable and met towing safety requirements, the “Yu Zhou Qi Hang” was finally towed away by tugboats to South Korea for disposal on the afternoon of the 17th. The Maritime and Port Bureau stated that it would continue to remove the remaining approximately 50 tons of bridge crane wreckage from the reefs at Yehliu Cape.
Additionally, the Maritime and Port Bureau, together with the Ocean Conservation Administration, has required the removal team to complete a certain period of water quality monitoring in the grounding area. This must be verified by a third-party notary to ensure no pollution and no remaining wreckage, thereby thoroughly ensuring the complete protection of Yehliu’s coastal environment and ecology and the full restoration of Yehliu’s marine and terrestrial environment.
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