Oil Tanker 'Bao Ping Xing' Breaks Down Off Kaohsiung; Minister Chen Shih-kai Orders Strict Control of Substandard Vessels

(CNA reporter Huang Chiao-wen, Taipei, June 5) The St. Kitts and Nevis-flagged oil tanker 'Bao Ping Xing' became disabled due to engine room flooding 4.3 nautical miles off the southwest coast of Mituo, Kaohsiung on the evening of June 5, leading to the crew abandoning ship. All 9 crew members were rescued. Transportation Minister Chen Shih-kai on June 6 ordered the Maritime and Port Bureau (MPB) to strictly monitor vessels in poor condition, with insufficient insurance, and inadequate emergency response capabilities.

According to a press release from the MPB, after receiving the report, it immediately notified the Southern Branch of the Coast Guard Administration, which dispatched vessel PP-10093 for emergency rescue. All 9 crew members were safely transferred to the Tainan Coast Guard Base. The MPB also contacted its emergency towing contractor, Asia Salvage Corporation, to proceed with towing, while gathering information on the vessel and reporting to the Taiwan Transportation Safety Board and the Ministry of Transportation and Communications per standard procedures.

The MPB stated that the vessel in question is a 1,140 gross tonnage oil tanker, which was in ballast condition (empty) and did not carry heavy oil, only 15 tons of diesel fuel.

At 9:00 a.m. on June 6, the MPB convened an emergency response meeting with the Coast Guard Administration, the Ocean Conservation Administration, the Taiwan International Ports Corporation, the ship's agent, and Asia Salvage Corporation. Considering that the vessel had taken on water and was listing, making it unsuitable for towing into port, Asia Salvage Corporation was instructed to continue towing the vessel to a safe area. The planned towing destination is 38 nautical miles west of Eluanbi, which is in international waters. The vessel's owner was required to submit a disposal plan by 2:00 p.m. and fulfill the responsibilities of the flag state and shipowner.

The vessel has now left Taiwan's territorial waters. Minister Chen ordered the MPB to continue strictly supervising the shipowner's fulfillment of responsibilities, ensuring personnel safety, fully implementing pollution prevention measures to strictly prevent oil spills, and accelerating the subsequent disposal of the hull.

Minister Chen pointed out that with the typhoon season approaching, the MPB and the port companies must maintain a high state of alert. The MPB must strictly implement the policy of 'issuing a 12-nautical-mile offshore warning zone one day before the issuance of a maritime typhoon warning.' This is a safety baseline that cannot be compromised.

Regarding vessels that may linger or pose a risk, Minister Chen stated that the MPB must immediately integrate cross-agency resources including the Coast Guard, the Ocean Conservation Administration, port companies, and local governments, and take action according to the law—notifying, ordering departures, and disposing of vessels—without allowing any侥幸 (luck-based) mentality.

Based on vessel traffic information obtained by the MPB, the vessel in question frequently operated in the western waters. Minister Chen instructed the MPB to effectively track the number of such frequently lingering vessels, review the current screening criteria for providing lingering vessel data to the Coast Guard for departure orders, tighten management, increase the cost of lingering for such vessels, and reduce the incidence of lingering.

Minister Chen further demanded that for vessels in poor condition, with insufficient insurance, and inadequate emergency response capabilities, the MPB must strengthen inspections and management. Substandard vessels cannot be left unchecked, shipowner responsibility cannot be ambiguous, and agents and operators cannot simply bring vessels in and then be unreachable when incidents occur. The MPB should continue to implement port entry insurance reviews and port state control inspections to strengthen source management.

The MPB stated that since October 15, 2025, it has tightened insurance reviews for vessels entering port, requiring all such vessels to have shipowner liability insurance from an insurer with an international credit rating of at least BBB. Since February 2025, it has strengthened port state control for vessels from blacklisted flag states such as Mongolia and Sierra Leone.

As of the end of May 2026, according to MPB statistics, compared to the year before the implementation of enhanced inspection measures in 2024, the number of vessels from blacklisted flag states entering port has decreased by approximately 68%, indicating the effectiveness of the strengthened management.

The MPB stated that it will follow Minister Chen's instructions, strictly review the shipowner liability insurance status of vessels entering Taiwan's international commercial ports, continue to strengthen port state control inspections of substandard vessels from blacklisted flag states, coordinate with the Coast Guard to intensify the expulsion of vessels lingering in waters around Taiwan, and implement the requirements of the newly amended Vessel Act for vessels to keep their AIS activated in territorial waters, in order to jointly maintain the safety of Taiwan's waters and the marine environment. (Editor: Chung Wei-wei) June 5, 2026