Tugboat Crew Airlifted After Being Injured While Assisting Drifting Bulk Carrier Off Taiwan

Five crew members were rescued by helicopter off Hualien, Taiwan, on Thursday after one of them was injured while helping a drifting bulk carrier.

The Panama-registered bulk carrier CSE Prosperity Express, operated by Taiwan’s China Steel Corporation, was arriving from Thailand and waiting for a pilot near Hualien Port when strong northeasterly monsoon winds pushed it towards the shore.

The vessel has 17 crew members, 12 from Taiwan and five from the Philippines. To help the bulker, the Hualien Port Authority sent the tug Taiwangang 13205, which had five crew members on board.

While assisting, the tug became entangled in the bulker’s lines, lost propulsion, and was driven onto the shoreline. One crewmember, surnamed Yu, suffered a head laceration and was semi-conscious.

Because of rough seas and bad weather, rescuers could not reach the tug by boat. The National Airborne Service Corps was called in, and a helicopter arrived around 3 p.m. to airlift all five crew members to waiting ambulances. Yu was taken straight to a hospital for treatment.

About 40 personnel on the ground helped coordinate the rescue, according to deputy coast guard patrol team captain Wu Cheng-ta, who took part in the operation.

The bulk carrier is stable, and all 17 crew members are safe. A larger salvage tug from Keelung Port was expected to reach the bulker later in the evening to assist with docking and unloading cargo.

Reference: focustaiwan

Source: Maritime Shipping News