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Officers appealed to President to be released five months after sinking

The Master and the officers of the 'Angel' were still being held hostage by Taiwan in a dispute over the ship's sinking. The seafarers now have appealed to the president to send them home five months after the accident. The three officers have been stuck in Taiwan since the ship sank 2,8 nautical miles off Kaohsiung in July when it developed a list after taking on water, reportedly due to structural issues. The crew of 19 were evacuated, and more than 1,000 empty containers were feared lost.

Oil combat to be completed, dangerous containers removed

After the 'Angel' sank following a suffering water ingress while anchored off the coast of Kaohsiung on July 20, the hole in the engine room has been patched, with the clean-up of a related oil spill expected to be completed soon as of Aug 16. The Taiwan International Ports Co. expected to finish cleaning the spill and clearing obstructive containers that fell from the 'Angel' on Aug 17, if weather conditions were stable. Drones operated by the Directorate General of Highways and a marine engineering company found only a small oil spill in the area where the 'Angel' sank. As of Aug 16, the Taiwan International Ports Co. had searched 16 areas and found containers in 10 of them. The bulk of the containers have already been removed from the waters around the harbour, while those remaining did not pose a threat to ships operating in the area.

Three officers of sunken ship barred from leaving Taiwan

Taiwan has orders that three of the officers from the 'Angel' should be barred from leaving the country while the investigation and environmental cleanup were underway. Officials were citing the cost of retrieving the hundreds of containers scattered in the ocean as well as the oil leaking from the vessel which had been anchored off the port with 1,349 empty containers and nearly 500 tons of low-sulfur fuel and light diesel on board for most of July, not indicating any troubles but inquiring about docking the day before the incident happend. The master of the vessel told the port authority on July 20 that the vessel was taking on water and that the 19 crew members were abandoning ship. The vessel’s list continued to grow, and despite efforts to stabilize the ship, it heeled over overnight and sank approximately 2,8 nautical miles off Kaohsiung. An order has now been issued by the Immigration Department to retain on Taiwan the master of the 'Angel', along with the first mate and chief engineer. Their departure was being restricted under the island’s Marine Pollution Law. Taiwan is incurring large expenses for the retrieval of the containers left floating along the coastline, while the oil leaking from the 'Angel' was unstoppable. The available equipment could only remove 120 cubic meters per hour. With Typhoon Doksuri impacting the area, it was feared the oil will be washed across a broader area. In addition, fisherman also needed to be compensated for the damage caused to the industry. The Kaohsiung Port Authority estimated that 766 of the containers sunk with the ship, and a further 160 sunk during the drifting process. A further 233 have been towed away. An additional 60 containers have been identified washed up on the shoreline in the area between Nansing and Fengpitou. A further 130 containers were believed to be missing and likely floating in the ocean creating navigational hazards. Some of the boxes currently trapped on the concrete constructions along the shore could also be washed out to sea as Typhoon Doksuri churned up the coastal waters. The container retrieval operation has been suspended due to the typhoon. Taiwan has been calling for the owner Navramar Shipping to take prompt action. The vessel’s class society and insurance status are unclear with the Equasis database not listing a Port State inspection since 2018.