A stranded Maltese-flagged ship, the Tzini, that ran aground last week causing a 100-tonne oil spill off the Taiwanese coast, has incurred further fines as it faces a Lm1 million clean-up bill.

The oil slick is reported to have contaminated a 10-

kilometre stretch of ecologically sensitive coastline and brought the local fishing industry to a halt.

Yilan county government has filed a complaint seeking the detention of the ship until the owner pays Lm1 million, the estimated cost of cleaning up the oil spill, while fishery firms and fishermen are also demanding compensation.

On 24 December the 23,000-ton ship, which was en route from Japan to Taiwan where it was to pick up a cargo of cement, drifted towards the coastline and ran aground on a coral reef at about 5.30am. The ship’s fuel tanks were ruptured on impact and began to leak fuel into the sea near Suao Harbour in eastern Taiwan.

The ship has been has been prevented from leaving harbour by the Taiwanese Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) until its owner, Kingston Shipping Ltd, cleans up the mess and provides financial compensation to the fishing industry and for further clean-up

operations.

After having received an

initial fine of Lm15,000 for failing to act quickly enough to contain the oil spill, on Thursday the owners were fined again for surreptitiously moving the ship without approval and against orders.

The Taiwanese Environ-mental Protection Authority had instructed the ship’s owner to remove the remaining fuel oil on board to prevent a further release of oil into the sea. It had also refused a request from the owner to move the vessel until it had cleaned up the pollution and ensured that the oil tank was completely empty.

Although a coastguard boat had been on site, monitoring the ship around the clock, the patrol boat had been sent off to look into another incident, and in the dark of Wednesday night the owners arranged for the ship to be towed while unattended.

The manoeuvre could land those responsible with further fines and a jail sentence, but the shipping company is said to be preparing an appeal citing regulations allowing the emergency measure of towing away ships in distress in order to save the ship.

The company’s insurance firm, meanwhile, has said it will handle the clean-up

operation itself.

While the Malta Maritime Authority is itself investigating the incident, preliminary investigations by Taiwanese port officials have found that the Tzini appeared to have lost power due to engine trouble, causing it to be pushed towards the shore by strong waves.

Following further investigations, however, EPA head Chang Kow-lung declared that the ship had run aground on the coral reef due to the captain’s carelessness. Mr Chang also raised suspicions that the captain and pilot had been dozing at the time – only to have been awoken by the accident.

Taiwanese authorities, in the meantime, are continuing their efforts to contain the spill. Despite the placing of oil-absorbent booms, the slick has spread to cover a 10-

kilometre area. The crisis management team set up to fight the slick has said it might have to call in the armed forces if the situation gets out of control in adverse weather conditions.

To compound matters, the Suao coastline is mostly composed of cliffs, meaning that efforts to set up boom nets to prevent the oil from spreading are even more complicated.