The Saint Christopher and Nevis-flagged M/T Aquarius experienced engine room flooding approximately 4.3 nautical miles southwest of Mituo District in Kaohsiung City last night (June 4), prompting the crew to abandon ship. Upon receiving the notification, the Maritime and Port Bureau (MPB) of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) immediately initiated its maritime accident response mechanism, reporting the incident to the Taiwan Transportation Safety Board and the MOTC in accordance with standard procedures. MOTC Minister Chen Shih-kai, accompanied by Director-General Chen-hua Han of the Department of Navigation and Aviation, immediately traveled south to Kaohsiung Port at noon today (June 5) to oversee the emergency response operations and receive a briefing from the MPB. Minister Chen commended the MPB's Southern Maritime Affairs Center for swiftly activating its standby emergency towing contractor, enabling the contracted salvage company to quickly secure the tow lines and close the fuel valves without delay. Furthermore, Minister Chen strictly demanded that all units rigorously implement the necessary follow-up measures and tolerate no risks that jeopardize the safety of the maritime areas of Taiwan.
  At present, the distressed vessel has left the territorial waters of Taiwan, and Taiwan has fully fulfilled its obligations as a coastal state for maritime accident response. However, following the principle of marine environmental preservation, Minister Chen requested that the MPB continue to strictly supervise the shipowner to assume responsibility, fully implement pollution prevention measures while prioritizing personnel safety, strictly prevent fuel leakage, and accelerate the progress of subsequent hull disposition.
  The MPB stated in its report that upon receiving the notification, the bureau immediately notified the Southern Branch of the Coast Guard Administration to deploy the patrol vessel PP-10093 to rush to the scene for an emergency rescue. All nine crew members on board were safely transferred back to the Tainan Coast Guard Base. The MPB also immediately contacted the Asia Marine Salvage Ltd., the bureau's standby emergency towing contractor, to proceed with towing and rescue. Tow lines were secured at 7:25 a.m. today (June 5), and the fuel valves of the vessel were confirmed shut. Investigations revealed that the 1,140-gross-ton tanker was sailing in ballast; it carried no heavy oil and was loaded with only 15 tons of diesel fuel. The MPB convened an emergency response meeting at 9:00 a.m. today, inviting the Coast Guard Administration, the Ocean Conservation Administration, the Taiwan International Ports Corporation (TIPC ), the shipping agency, and the Asia Marine Salvage Ltd. The meeting concluded that, considering the vessel had flooded and listed, it was unsuitable to be towed into the port. Consequently, the Asia Marine Salvage Ltd. was instructed to continue towing the vessel to safe waters. The estimated towing location is 38 nautical miles west of Cape Eluanbi, which already belongs to the high seas. The shipowner was also required to submit a disposition plan before 2:00 p.m. to fulfill the responsibilities of the flag state and the shipowner. The MPB will continue to monitor the dynamics of the vessel.
  Minister Chen stated that during the typhoon season, the MPB and the TIPC must maintain high vigilance. The MPB must rigorously enforce the policy of “issuing warnings for the 12-nautical-mile nearshore zone a full 24 hours ahead of any official sea typhoon warning.” This is the safety baseline and allows no compromises. Regarding vessels that may loiter or create risks, the MPB must integrate the cross-unit forces of the Coast Guard Administration, the Ocean Conservation Administration, the TIPC, and local governments at the first instance to notify, expel, and dispose of them in accordance with the law, leaving absolutely no room for complacency. According to vessel dynamic data monitored by the MPB, the distressed vessel had been frequently transiting western waters. Minister Chen instructed the bureau to effectively grasp the number of such frequently loitering vessels and review screening criteria so data on loitering vessels can be shared with the Coast Guard for enforcement action. Management must be tightened to increase operational costs for these idle vessels and deter their presence. 
  Minister Chen also demanded that the MPB strengthen the inspection and management of vessels with poor vessel conditions, insufficient insurance, and inadequate response capabilities. Substandard ships cannot be left unchecked; shipowners must not be allowed to evade their responsibilities, and shipping agencies and operators cannot simply profit from bringing vessels in, only to evade accountability when accidents occur. The MPB will continue to implement insurance reviews for incoming vessels and port state control inspections to tackle risks at the source.
  The MPB stated that since October 15, 2025, it has tightened the insurance review for entering vessels, requiring that the protection and indemnity insurance carried by all entering vessels must be underwritten by an insurance company with a BBB international credit rating before they are permitted to enter port. Furthermore, since February 2025, port state control has been strengthened against the vessels from five blacklisted countries including Mongolia and Sierra Leone. As of the end of May 2026, the number of incoming vessels from these targeted nations dropped by approximately 68% compared with the year prior to the implementation of the enhanced inspections in 2024,  indicating that the strengthened management has yielded successful results.
  The MPB will follow the instructions of Minister Chen to strictly review the protection and indemnity insurance underwriting status of vessels entering the international commercial ports of Taiwan. It will continue to strengthen port state control inspections of substandard ships from the blacklisted states. Concurrently, the MPB will coordinate with the Coast Guard Administration to reinforce the expulsion of vessels loitering in the maritime areas surrounding Taiwan, and enforce the newly amended Law of Ships, which requires all vessels transiting territorial waters to keep their automatic identification system continuously activated , so as to jointly maintain national maritime safety and the marine environment.

Contact person: Wei-en Chen, Section Chief, Southern Maritime Affairs Center
Contact number: 07-2620630