The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) said yesterday that it is considering raising the percentage of passenger ships subject to random inspections by the seaport authority from 6 percent to 20 percent following the shipwreck of a South Korean ferry on Wednesday last week.
The potential policy change was proposed at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee in Taipei yesterday, when the committee was scheduled to address the budget for the ministry for the fiscal year 2014.
Members of the committee were concerned what the government would do to prevent similar tragedies from happening in Taiwan.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lee Kun-tse (李昆澤) said that the South Korean ferry Sewol capsized and sank within two hours suggested that there was something wrong with the structure of the ferry.
He said Taiwan has several large roll-on roll-off ships like Sewol, such as the Taima (台馬輪), Taihua (台華輪) and Hofu (合富輪) ferries and that these vessels have been in operation for an average of 25 years, making them older than the South Korean ferry.
Lee cited statistics from the Maritime and Ports Bureau, showing that the nation has about 2.5 million shipping service passengers per year.
Under the Ships Act (船舶法), the bureau is supposed to conduct an annual inspection and a special inspection once every five years.
The bureau can also launch random inspections at short notice. Though the nation’s seaports also provide services to 190,000 vessels per year, only about 6 percent of them are subject to random inspections by the bureau, Lee said.
In response, MOTC Minister Yeh Kuang-shih (葉匡時) said the ministry would widen its random inspections of the large roll-on roll-off ships and make sure that shippers meet safety requirements.
“We have completed random inspections this month. They will be followed by emergency response drills, which are to be completed within one month. Then we will hold explanatory sessions informing the shipping firms about the inspection rules,” bureau director general Chi Wen-jong (祁文中) added.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,912) for advertisements that exceed its approved business scope, requiring the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license may be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter enforcement of Chinese e-commerce platforms and measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan in response to US President Donald Trump’s heavy tariffs on China. The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee met today to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文) said
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,900) for advertisements that exceeded its approved business scope and ordered the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license would be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter supervision of Chinese e-commerce platforms and more stringent measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan as US President Donald Trump’s administration cracks down on origin laundering. The legislature’s Finance Committee yesterday met to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report on the matter. Democratic Progressive Party
Taiwan and its Pacific ally Tuvalu on Tuesday signed two accords aimed at facilitating bilateral cooperation on labor affairs, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). The governments inked two agreements in Taipei, witnessed by Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) and visiting Deputy Tuvaluan Prime Minister Panapasi Nelesone, MOFA said in a news release. According to MOFA, the agreements will facilitate cooperation on labor issues and allow the two sides to mutually recognize seafarers’ certificates and related training. Taiwan would also continue to collaborate with Tuvalu across various fields to promote economic prosperity as well as the well-being of their
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), who led efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), was released on bail of NT$80,000 today amid outcry over his decision to wear a Nazi armband to questioning the night before. Sung arrived at the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office for questioning in a recall petition forgery case last night wearing a red armband bearing a swastika, carrying a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf and giving a Nazi salute. Sung left the building at 1:15am without the armband and covering the book with his coat. Lee said today that this is a serious