Owner of grounded cargo ship could face new fine for oil spills

Tainan, Aug. 27 (CNA) The owner of the Togo-registered cargo ship Sopfia that ran aground on the Tainan coast when Typhoon Gaemi hit Taiwan last month could be subject to a third fine after the ship leaked oil from its hull, a port official said Monday.

The Maritime Port Bureau has already fined the owner of the vessel NT$100,000 (US$3,135) on two separate occasions, after fishermen recently reported oil spills from the ship, said Wu Yu-ling (吳玉玲), a specialist with the Maritime Port Bureau.

The leakages also prompted the bureau to install an oil containment boom to monitor the situation, and Wu said there was a possibility that the port authority could issue a third fine if the owner does not take follow-up action.

She said the oil pumping operation from the ship's oil tank has been completed, and it was found that the oil leakage was caused by the ship's hull being eroded by sea water.

The two or three spots that were leaking have been plugged, Wu said, adding that the bureau will continue to monitor the pollution and clarify subsequent management responsibilities.

Wu said the shipowner has said it will submit a hull demolition plan next week and that the bureau will review it after receiving it.

If, however, the shipowner fails to submit the report as promised, the port authority will issue another fine and start the process of dismantling the ship on its own, she said.

According to the bureau's South Maritime Affairs Center, the ship was called the Sopfia but recently changed its name to the Alano and is owned by Shunda Shipping (Hong Kong) Limited. The fines imposed have been issued to the company's agent in Taiwan.

After the ship ran aground near Xishu Beach along Tainan's golden coast at the end of July, it unexpectedly became a popular attraction, attracting sizable crowds.

Some netizens called the scene "Taiwan's version of the Titanic," and many photos of the ship and the scene were posted on social media sites.

On Aug. 7, the shipowner commissioned a construction unit to erect a fence near the hull of the ship to avoid danger after the hull was also sprayed with graffiti by unknown persons.