Massive ship sinks off Taiwan, leaves containers buoyant

ISTANBUL

A large container ship sank near Taiwan’s largest port Kaohsiung on Friday morning, leaving dozens of containers afloat.

The Palau-flagged ship Angel is said to have more than a gross tonnage of 16 tons, of which 1,349 were empty. Taipei-based Taiwan News reported that many containers floated in the sea after the sinking incident.

The Taiwan International Ports Corporation (TIPC) attempted to save the Palau-flagged ship, however efforts did not work out.

Nineteen crew members were evacuated, one of whom was injured.

The TIPC temporarily closed gates to the port over safety concerns caused by floating containers in the waterway.