Ocean Affairs Council minister visits Taiping for first time in 7 years during drill

Taipei, April 23 (CNA) Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲), minister of Taiwan's Ocean Affairs Council (OCA), visited Taiping Island on Tuesday to observe a maritime rescue drill, marking the first visit by an OCA head in seven years to the Taiwan-controlled island in the disputed South China Sea.

The rescue drill was carried out in waters around Taiping Island by representatives from the OCA's Coast Guard Administration (CGA), as well as the transportation, defense, foreign, and health ministries, with Kuan looking on, according to an OCA press release.

Taiping -- also known as Itu Aba -- is the largest naturally occurring island in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea and is controlled by Taiwan.

Tuesday's drill began with a simulation of CGA patrol vessels intercepting a suspicious cargo ship near Taiping Island and escorting it to a dock on the island for inspection.

The drill also simulated the fiery collision of a Vietnamese-registered fishing vessel and a cargo ship, with crew members being injured and some falling overboard, the CGA said.

In that exercise, the CGA dispatched a rescue team and unmanned aerial vehicles, while the Ministry of National Defense deployed a C-130 transport aircraft to evacuate the injured crew members to Taiwan's main island for medical treatment.

The collision also caused a simulated oil spill, which was contained with the use of booms, according to the OCA.

In a rare visit to Taiping, the head of the OCA observed the drill, which was conducted as part of the Taiwan government's efforts to transform Taiping Island into a base for humanitarian aid and supplies in the South China Sea.

The last time an OCA minister visited Taiping Island was in May 2019, when then-Minister Lee Chung-wei (李仲威) made the trip to observe a similar rescue drill.

Taiping Island lies about 1,600 kilometers southwest of Kaohsiung and is administered as part of Cijin District in the southern Taiwanese city.

It is currently staffed by about 200 Coast Guard personnel trained by the Marine Corps, and drills are held there regularly.

The island is also claimed by Vietnam, China, and the Philippines. It is one of two territories controlled by Taiwan in the South China Sea, the other being Dongsha (Pratas Island), which lies about 450 kilometers southwest of Kaohsiung.