Photo courtesy of Port of Hualien, Taiwan International Ports Corporation, Ltd.

Taipei, Feb. 7 (CNA) Loading and unloading operations at three wharves in Hualien Port have been suspended after the county's branch of the Taiwan International Ports Corp. noticed that the deep foundations of the wharves have subsided due to the magnitude 6 earthquake that hit the county late Tuesday.

According to a Wednesday press statement from the corporation, it was discovered that the foundations of the No. 23, 24 and 25 wharves had all sunk 50 centimeters.

Work at wharves 23, 24 and 25 has therefore been suspended for safety reasons.

An official from the Taiwan International Ports Corp. said that there are cracks on the ground in these three wharves' operation areas, making it unsafe to continue with loading and unloading operations.

Furthermore, an oil leak at wharf No. 24 needs to be dealt with before operations can resume, the official said.

The corporation noted that operations at these three wharves will remain suspended until a thorough assessment of the safety conditions has been completed.

(By Wang Shwu-feng and Kuan-lin Liu)
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