BLUE LAGOON

General information

Course/Position

Latest news

45 tons of fuel removed from wreck

Environmental protection authorities have removed some of the oil aboard the 'Blue Lagoon' near Orchid Island and were working to ensure the rest was pumped out without damaging the surrounding area. The Taitung County Environmental Protection Bureau said on Oct. 8 that as of midday, 45 tons of oil had been removed from the wreck, and about 325 tons of oil and diesel remained on board, which would seriously damage the surrounding environment if not removed. The ship’s oil and diesel storage had not ruptured or leaked. The ship's hull and cargo will be removed once all the oil is pumped out. The first break in the weather after the ship ran aground was on Oct. 4, after which various local authorities dispatched crews to implement oil spill control measures in case of a leak. These included deploying oil-absorbing materials to surrounding waters and assigning monitoring and response staff. Report with photos: https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/news/5948795

Bulk carrier broke in two

As of Oct 2, the 'Blue Lagoon', stranded on the southeast side of Longmen Port on Lanyu Island, has broken in two, and an oil leakage has occurred. The Harbor Bureau of the Ministry of Transport has joined forces with the Coast Guard, the Taitung County Government and the Lanyu Township. The office established a response team. The Port Bureau has required the ship to close the oil valves and tanks, prepare anti-pollution materials, and require the P&I insurance company responsible for the ship to start pollution prevention and control operations. It is currently expected that when the weather situation improved on the evening of Oct 4. An anti pollution vessel and materials will be shipped to Orchid Island to start the oil removal operation as soon as possible. No residual oil was stored at the crack in the hull. Ther were about 290 tons of oil and 67,500 tons of cargo on board. Report s wiith photos: https://tw.news.yahoo.com/%E8%98%AD%E5%B6%BC%E6%93%B1%E6%B7%BA%E8%88%B9-%E6%9C%89%E4%BA%8C%E4%B9%9D0%E5%99%B8%E6%B2%B9%E6%96%99-%E8%88%AA%E6%B8%AF%E5%B1%80%E8%A6%81%E6%B1%82%E8%88%B9%E8%88%87%E4%BF%9D%E9%9A%AA%E5%85%AC%E5%8F%B8%E5%9B%9B%E6%97%A5%E9%A2%A8%E6%B5%AA%E5%B0%8F%E5%B0%B1%E6%B8%85-131420619.html https://udn.com/news/story/7328/8266372

Grounded ship started leaking oil

The crew of the 'Blue Lagoon', carrying a cargo of 67,500 tons of iron ore and 227 tons VLSFO bunker fuel as well as 37 tons diesel, was airlifted to safety on Oct 1. The first helicopter took off from Taitung Airport at 6:06 a.m. Due to heavy wind and rain at the scene, the helicopter was unable to carry out hoisting operations and returned to the base. It took off again at 10:23 a.m. and successfully rescued the 19 crew members safely from 11:21 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. and dropped them off at the Lanyu Airport.on Taitung County's Orchid Island. They were examined by medical personnel at the island's health center and all determined to be safe and sound. After the grounding, oil has been discovered in waters around the island's coast, prompting the office to request the county's environmental protection bureau tackle the apparent slick. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) received a report at 4:28 a.m. from Keelung Radio that the ship had run aground in waters some 18 nautical miles away from Lanyu amid rough conditions brought by the Typhoon Krathon, en route from the Port of Caofeidian in the Hebei Province to Singapore, The original position of the ship was between Longmen Port and Xiaolan Island, but it was gradually carried to Longmen Port by wind and sea currents. The master issued an order to abandon ship at 5:38 a.m. as the hull ruptured, and water started flooding the engine room. The ship was largely submerged soon after. Due to the rough weather it could not yet be approached and was pounded by the surf, listing to starboard side, with debris drifting onto the shore. Reports with photos and video: https://focustaiwan.tw/society/202410010019 https://focustaiwan.tw/society/202410020004 https://udn.com/news/story/7320/8263946?from=udn-ch1_breaknews-1-cate2-news https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2024/10/01/a103918252.html