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Salvaged bulkcarrier went adrift under tow to repair yard
The "Harvest Sky" after having been refloated was towed to Kaohsiun to offload the cargo of coal. The vessel sustained some serious propulsion failure and has remained disabled since the time of initial accident. After offloading, the bulkcarrier was to be towed to Zhoushan waters for repairs. Towage commenced on Oct 31, but in the early ´morning of Nov 3 the ship broke off the towing wire in rough weather in the northern Taiwan Strait, and started to drift back to Taiwan in strong northeast winds. The vessel drifted 130 miles through most of the Taiwan Strait, until finally, managed to drop anchor some seven miles off Taixi, Yunlin, in the early morning of Nov 6.
Bulkcarrier refloated after one week aground
The "Harvest Sky" was refloated in the evening of Oct 20 during the full tide at 11 p.m. The salvage tug "Koyo Maru" (IMO: 9162148) was contracted for the salvage operation. No leak reported. On Oct 21 tthe bulkcarrier was under tow moving in southern direction along the Taiwanese coast towards safe waters for a thorough survey. The ship became stuck 0,3 miles off the coast after its main and steering engines had malfunctioned. None of the 21 crew members were hurt. Filed to leave the coast by Oct. 16 midnight, the cargo ship owner has been fined NT$800,000 (US$26,458) for violating the Commercial Port Law. The cargo of 19,000 tons of coal and 1,590 tons of diesel were found to have caused no water pollution. Report with photo: http://focustaiwan.tw/news/asoc/201710210012.aspx
Bulkcarrier aground at Linkou
The "Harvest Sky" ran aground in the morning of Oct 14, 2017, at 9.55 a.m. after unoading cargo at the Linkou coal terminal in position 25 07 121 15E 0,3 miles off the coast near Limkou port in northwest Taiwan with a crew of 21 on board. The ship became unmanoeverable after her steering gear got entangled in nearby fishing nets. Then the engine failued due to overheating, and strong ocean currents caused the ship to run aground on mud and gravel bottom. Following an emergency meeting with a representative of the ship owner, the Coast Guard, the Taoyuan County Environmental Protection Bureau, and the Maritime and Port Bureau, it was decided that the vessel would be towed to safety once the weather conditions have improved. The vessel was carrying 19,068 tons of coal and 1,590 tons of diesel when it ran aground in bad weather with wind forces of eight Beaufort and two meters wave height. Reports with photos: http://focustaiwan.tw/news/asoc/201710140025.aspx http://www.chinatimes.com/realtimenews/20171014002160-260405
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