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.
Content Original Link:
" target="_blank">
