The nation’s ability to conduct marine science, detect new energy sources and measure environmental change has suffered a major blow after a maritime research vessel sank on Friday, leaving two dead.
The Ocean Researcher V sank in stormy waters around 8:11pm, less than three hours after it first issued a distress call, said Chi Wen-jong (祁文中), director-general of the Maritime and Port Bureau.
The NT$1.46 billion (US$47.98 million), 2,700 tonne Ocean Researcher V is the largest research ship Taiwan owns, known for its state-of-the-art equipment and ability to operate in bad weather.
Photo montage: CNA
The ship had a remotely operated underwater vehicle that could descend to depths of 3,000m to search for the existence of fossil fuels such as natural gas and methane clathrate, experts said.
National Cheng Kung University marine technology professor Kao Chia-chuen (高家俊) said the ship was the most advanced maritime research vessel Taiwan had, and was mainly used for reef exploration.
Kao, who supervised the construction of the vessel, said findings by the ship could have contributed to Taiwan’s biofuel and hydrology studies, which were of great value to national security.
The ship collected and ignited high-density methane off southwest Taiwan last year, paving the way for the country’s energy exploration.
The ship was also able to analyze levels of marine pollutants and identify plate movements to assist in the prediction of earthquakes or tsunamis, experts said.
Besides the loss of hardware, the death of Hsu Shih-chieh (許世傑), a research fellow at the Academia Sinica, was also seen as a great loss to the field of marine science.
Hsu, 47, had spent the past decade studying marine particulate matter in the East China Sea and the South China Sea and was one of the top five experts in the field in Taiwan, said Liu Shaw-cheng (劉紹臣), director of the Research Center for Environmental Changes at Academia Sinica.
Another member of the crew, Lin Y-chun (林怡君), 30, passed away. According to her direct superior, the ship’s investigation division chief Yang Yi (楊益), Lin was very passionate about maritime affairs.
At a press conference yesterday, Minister of Science and Technology Simon Chang (張善政) stressed the importance of having a research vessel of the caliber of the Ocean Researcher V to the nation and said the ministry and related agencies would hold discussions about whether to repair it or build another vessel.
Chang said the loss of the ship would affect a total of 13 projects originally scheduled until August next year.
Additional reporting by Liu Yu-ching and Tsai Ying
Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China when traveling in countries with close ties to Beijing, Taiwan Association of University Professors deputy chairman Chen Li-fu (陳俐甫) said on Friday. Chen’s comments came after China on Friday last week announced new judicial guidelines targeting Taiwanese independence advocates. Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Djibouti are among the countries where Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China, he said. The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday elevated the travel alert for China, Hong Kong and Macau to “orange” after Beijing announced its guidelines to “severely punish Taiwanese independence diehards for splitting the country and inciting secession.” Extradition treaties
Taiwan and Thailand have signed an agreement to promote and protect bilateral investment and trade, the Executive Yuan’s Office of Trade Negotiations (OTN) said on Friday. The agreement on “Promotion and Protection of Investments” was signed by Representative to Thailand Chang Chun-fu (張俊福) and Thailand Trade and Economic Office in Taipei executive director Narong Boonsatheanwong on Thursday, the OTN said in a news release. Thailand has become the fifth trading partner to sign an investment agreement with Taiwan since 2016, following earlier agreements with the Philippines, India, Vietnam and Canada, the OTN said. The deal marks a significant milestone in the development of
The entire Alishan Forest Railway line is to reopen for the first time in 15 years on Saturday, with tickets to go on sale at 2pm today. The historic railway from Chiayi to Alishan (阿里山) is finally set to reopen after the completion of the final No. 42 tunnel, Alishan Forest Railway and Cultural Heritage Office Deputy Director-General Chou Heng-kai (周恆凱) said. It is to run on a new timetable, with four trains daily, he said. The 9am train is to depart from Chiayi Railway Station bound for Shizilu Station (十字路), while the 10am train departing from Chiayi is to go all the
CROSS-BORDER CRIME: The suspects cannot be charged with cybercrime in Indonesia as their targets were in Malaysia, an Indonesian immigration director said Indonesian immigration authorities have detained 103 Taiwanese after a raid at a villa on Bali, officials said yesterday. They were accused of misusing their visas and residence permits, and are suspected of possible cybercrimes, Safar Muhammad Godam, director of immigration supervision and enforcement at the Indonesian Ministry of Law and Human Rights told reporters at a news conference. “The 103 foreign nationals stayed at the villa and conducted suspicious activities, which we suspect are activities related to cybercrime activities,” he said, presenting laptops and routers at the news conference. Godam said Indonesian authorities cannot charge them with conducting cybercrime. “During the inspection, we