Taipei, Oct. 16 (CNA) Coast guard authorities were on the alert Wednesday for possible oil leaks after a Honduras-registered tanker, the Yong Win3, sank the previous day about 35 nautical miles southwest of Little Liouchiou, an islet off southwestern Taiwan.

The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said two of its boats were on patrol close to where the tanker sank, monitoring the situation and checking for any oil leaks.

The Yong Win3, which was carrying more than 5,000 tons of diesel fuel, sank late Tuesday after listing heavily for hours, according to coast guard officers stationed in the southern Taiwan port city of Kaohsiung.

Before the ship went down, its owner sent a ferry to pick up the crewmen, who said they had sealed the tanker's oil storage compartment to prevent any leaks.

A preliminary report by the CGA said there were no major leaks.

The Environmental Protection Administration has been informed of the incident, CGA said.

(By Chen Chao-fu and Elizabeth Hsu)
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