Dutch company awarded contract for Kaoshiung port reclamation

Want China Times, CNA 2015-08-17

A dock at the Kaoshiung Intercontinental Container Center, Oct. 1,
2014. (File photo/Yen Jui-tien)

Dutch contractor Van Oord has been awarded the dredging contract for Kaoshiung Intercontinental Container Center Phase II, valued at approximately €130 million (US$144 million).

Van Oord has already started preparations for the new Kaohsiung terminal, which is scheduled to be completed by January 2018 and will involve the dredging and reclamation of 37 million cubic meters of sand for the extension of Kaohsiung Port, the company said in a statement on Aug. 13.

The Rotterdam-based company will employ one of its largest trailing suction hopper dredgers in Kaohsiung, the largest port in Taiwan which plays an important role in the nation's export-oriented economy.

Kaohsiung Intercontinental Container Center Phase II is a large land reclamation project being undertaken by Taiwan International Ports Corp (TIPC), with the aim of building a container transshipment hub.

The project site is located at Kaohsiung Port's second entrance in the southern offshore water area, with 422.5 hectares of reclaimed land and 19 deep-water piers, according to TIPC's website.

The project is scheduled to run from 2011 to 2019, with a total development budget of NT$150.6 billion (US$4.04 billion), NT$34.45 billion (US$1 billion) being contributed by the government and NT$116.15 billion (US$3.5 billion) by the private sector.

Jiangsu man finds fairy (shrimp) at bottom of his garden

Want China Times, Staff Reporter 2015-06-29

Fairy shrimps. (Photo/CNS)

A man in Lianyungang in eastern China's Jiangsu province has found a fairy shrimp in the water tanks that he uses to plant lotus, reports the online media outlet Jiangsu China based in Nanjing.

Zhang said he put out two water tanks for the lotus in his winter garden. He changes the water in the tanks regularly because the garden gets a lot of sunshine in the afternoon. He found it remarkable that a shrimp could survive in the high temperature of the water.

Zhang took the shrimp out of the tank and placed it in a glass bowl. The shrimp is about five centimeters long, mostly green color with a little bit of red on its tail.

Speculating on how the shrimp arrived in his tank, Zhang said there is no way the shrimp could have been hiding in the tank when he first set it out or came through the tap water. He suspected it may have come in dirt from the mountain that he added to the tanks.

An expert said the shrimp Zhang found is a fairy shrimp (anostraca), a type of crustacean that has been on Earth for around 200 million years.

The expert said fairy shrimp require soil that is high in sodium and its life cycle is around one to three months. Its eggs are small with a tough shell that can protect against heat and drought. In the soil, an egg can remain unhatched for years until the conditions are right.

Fishermen from detained Taiwanese ship freed by Philippines

Want China Times, CNA 2015-05-14

The Sheng Feng No. 12. (Photo/CNA)

The captain and crew aboard a Taiwanese fishing ship detained in Batanes province of the Philippines last week for alleged poaching in territorial waters were released and allowed to return home Wednesday after paying a fine of US$50,000.

Lin Tung-heng, a section chief of Taiwan's representative office in the Philippines, and Hsu Chz-yeh, an official with Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration, presented a check for US$50,000 to the Philippines' Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources to pay the fine.

The sum had been remitted to the Philippines by the family of captain Hung Tien-ting.

The fisheries agency then filed a motion with the Basco district prosecutors' office and court to drop the case, and the court agreed, leading to the immediate release of the ship, its captain and crew.

Hung, who will leave the Philippines Thursday along with his ship and crew, said after the court ruling that he was still considering whether to return to Taiwan or go on another fishing trip to make up for losses from the fine.

Expressing the financial pressure he felt in paying the fine, Hung told CNA that he will discuss the issue with his family before making a decision.

He also voiced his gratitude for Taiwan's representatives in Manila for their assistance over the past week.

The Pingtung-registered Sheng Feng No. 12 was detained last Thursday while passing through waters 6.5 nautical miles off the coast of Yami Island when inspectors on a Philippines ship approached and boarded the fishing boat to see if it was operating illegally.

The six people aboard the ship — Captain Hung, chief engineer Huang An-sheng and four Indonesian fishermen — were each released on 15,000 pesos (US$336) bail last Friday after negotiations with Filipino officials.

They were allowed to move freely in the Philippines before appearing in court Wednesday.

Related Article:

Fishing incident between Taiwan, Philippines resolved: minister

Fisherman snags 'humped back' sea turtle off Taiwan's coast

Want China Times, CNA 2015-04-18

The humped back sea turtle, April 16. (Photo/CNS)

A Taitung fisherman caught an unusual looking "humped back" sea turtle in waters off the southeastern coast of Taiwan on Wednesday.

The fisherman, Tien Cheng-yung, said he was fishing in waters off Pingtung and Taitung counties when he unexpectedly pulled up a heavy turtle that had an unusually shaped shell.

Tien said his first thought was "why does it look like this?" He said he had unintentionally caught turtles before but had never seen one with a humped shell.

Tien said he shot a video of the creature with the humped back and then released it back into the sea.

When he showed the video to other veteran fishermen on Thursday, they were all amazed and said it was the first time they had seen a "humped back" turtle, Tien said.

A photo of the turtle showed its shell was shaped like a traditional Chinese farmer's hat.

Cheng I-Jiunn, a marine biology professor at National Taiwan Ocean University, said it appeared from the photo to be a regular green sea turtle species that probably had been raised in captivity or on a farm and was later abandoned or had escaped.

The unusual shape of its shell may have resulted from living in a small space, which would have forced the turtle to grow "upward," making it appear to be "humped back," he said.

New Chinese cruise liner to set sail for Taiwan

Want China Times, Li Hsin-tung and Staff Reporter 2015-04-14

The Chinese Taishan sailing back to the port of Yantai in Shandong after
its maiden voyage, August 2014. (File photo/Xinhua)

China's first wholly-owned and independently operated cruise ship, the Chinese Taishan, is set to embark on its maiden voyage to Taichung later in the month, as more mainland tourists visit Taiwan on cruises, reports our Chinese-language sister paper China Times.

The Chinese Taishan will dock at Taichung on April 25 on the first of its eight cruise tours to Taiwan this year and then head to Kaohsiung before returning to Zhoushan in east China's Zhejiang province, Taiwan International Ports' Taichung branch said.

From May 9, the ports of call for the ship will include all four major ports of Taiwan — Taichung, Kaohsiung, Keelung and Hualien, the first time a foreign cruise ship has done so, the port operator in Taichung added.

The four-port cruise trip, which takes six days and five nights, is priced between 3,000 to 5,000 yuan (US$480-$805) per person, and is especially attractive to mainland tourists, since they can visit as many places as possible this way.

The cruise ship is operated by Hong Kong-based Bohai Cruise, which acquired the vessel from Carnival last year.

Unlike Western visitors, who prefer to visit several countries in one cruise trip, Chinese tourists are happy to just visit Taiwan in one trip, no matter how it is done, the tour operators said.

According to Taiwan International Ports, there were 785 round-trips between Taiwan and China by sea, including cruises and regular passenger services in 2014, carrying 167,000 people to Taiwan.

The number of trips and passengers are expected to rise to 1,006 and 228,000, respectively, this year, the company said.

13 Chinese fishing boats expelled in Taiwan crackdown

Want China Times, CNA 2015-02-15

Coast guard personnel use high-pressure water cannons to expel
a Chinese fishing boat, Feb. 14. (Photo/CNA)

Taiwan's coast guard has intensified actions to crack down on poaching in the seas northeast of the island, expelling 13 Chinese fishing boats from its waters over the past two days, the Coast Guard Administration said Saturday.

The administration deployed seven vessels, including the 2,000-ton cutter Hsinbei, during the two-day mission around the islets of Pengjia, Huaping and Mianhua, together known as the "three northern islets."

Coast guard personnel used high-pressure water cannons to deter poachers in waters around the islands as it is beltfish season and fishermen are seeking to meet demand in the run-up to the Lunar New Year holiday next week, according to the administration.

ROC Navy shows off warship living quarters for servicewomen

Want China Times, CNA 2015-01-04

One of the women's bunk rooms on the
ROCS Ma Kong. (Photo/Chang Kuo-wei)

The tough life of serving on a military vessel has not deterred Taiwan's servicewomen, a small but growing minority in the armed forces, from joining the Navy.

The Navy has implemented new measures that ensure the safety of female sailors. Their life at sea was shown to reporters Thursday in a rare media tour of a Kidd-class destroyer.

On the ROCS Ma Kong, each women's bunk is located at the back of a passageway to give them privacy. The rooms have drinking water dispensers, washing machines and a sink. Surveillance cameras are installed in front of the door to each bunk room.

Asked by the local media whether it is more difficult for women to get used to life on a military vessel, Lt Yen Jih-lin, who serves on the Ma Kong, said there is not much difference. She said women in fact enjoy more privileges on board, referring to the above amenities.

Another facility on the Ma Kong shown to the media was a gym, a feature found only on the Kidd-class destroyers.

There are about 16,000 servicewomen in Taiwan's military, representing 10.51% of all military personnel, a record high, President Ma Ying-jeou said during a military promotion ceremony in late December.

Taiwanese poachers escape Indonesian authorities

Want China Times, CNA 2014-12-21

The Jin Yu Cheng fishing boat. (File photo/China Times)

Taiwan's Fisheries Agency said Saturday that two of three Taiwanese ships suspected of operating illegally in Indonesian waters have fled the area before being apprehended and the third was on its way.

Indonesia's Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries said Friday that it had detected 13 foreign vessels suspected of fishing illegally in its exclusive economic zone.

Indonesian authorities identified four Taiwanese ships among the 13 — the Goang Shing Lih No. 6, the Shin Jyi Chyuu No. 36, the Jin Yu Cheng, and the Yi Feng No. 682 — and asked the country's Navy to track and seize the ships. The Fisheries Agency said after checking, only Shin Jyi Chyuu No. 33 is on record.

The Fisheries Agency, which has monitored the whereabouts of the boats, said the Yi Feng No. 682 and Goang Shing Lih No. 6 are already out of Indonesian waters and were sailing in Palau's exclusive economic zone as of Saturday noon.

The Jin Yu Cheng, which was sailing in a northeasterly direction trying to flee Indonesian waters Friday evening, was still moving, but the agency did not know as of Saturday afternoon if it had succeeded.

The captain of the ship communicated with his family Saturday morning, however, and reported that he and the ship were safe.

The fourth ship identified by Indonesian authorities has been something of a mystery.

No ship registered in Taiwan goes by the name of Shin Jyi Chyuu No. 36, and a Taiwanese ship bearing a similar name, the Shin Jyi Chun No. 33, reported that it was sailing in international waters near Palau and was not in Indonesian waters.

Indonesia has been cracking down on foreign vessels operating illegally in its waters, sinking three Vietnamese fishing boats and seizing 22 Chinese vessels recently to stem the illegal fishing problem.

Authorities there have threatened to seize or even sink the Taiwanese ships detected Friday if they are apprehended by Indonesia's Navy.

Related Articles:

Taiwan warns its fishermen against illegal practices

Fishy Business in Maritime Sector, as Ship Sinking Directive Goes Lax

Seminar on Israel water technology to be held in Taipei

Want China Times, 2014-11-12

A K. B. Recycling Industrials booth at a new energy and technology expo
in Air port city, Israel, Feb. 19. (File photo/Xinhua)

A seminar on Israel's water technology will be held in Taiwan later this month to promote exchanges in the area, the Israel Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei said in a recent statement.

The seminar, slated to take place Nov. 28 in Taipei, will bring together representatives of eight Israeli companies who will share their technologies and products with Taiwanese firms in an effort to seek potential cooperation, said the office, which is co-organizing the event with Taiwan's Water Resources Agency.

The agenda will include discussions on desalination, waste water management, quality management of drinking water and recycled water, the office said.

As the government is planning to begin collecting water pollution control fees starting December, how to effectively handle waste water has become an important issue.

Israel has developed advanced technologies to deal with its waste water, 97% of which is reused for irrigation. It has also been exporting its water technologies, including desalination, waste water recycling and drip irrigation, to other countries, the office said.

Business meetings will also be arranged for Israeli and Taiwanese companies to explore cooperation opportunities, it added.

Related Article:

"Recalibration of Free Choice"–  Mar 3, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll) - (Subjects: (Old) Souls, Midpoint on 21-12-2012, Shift of Human Consciousness, Black & White vs. Color, 1 - Spirituality (Religions) shifting, Loose a Pope “soon”, 2 - Humans will change react to drama, 3 - Civilizations/Population on Earth,  4 - Alternate energy sources (Geothermal, Tidal (Paddle wheels), Wind), 5 – Financials Institutes/concepts will change (Integrity – Ethical) , 6 - News/Media/TV to change, 7 – Big Pharmaceutical company will collapse “soon”, (Keep people sick), (Integrity – Ethical)  8 – Wars will be over on Earth, Global Unity, … etc.) - (Text version)

…  4 - Energy (again)

The natural resources of the planet are finite and will not support the continuation of what you've been doing. We've been saying this for a decade. Watch for increased science and increased funding for alternate ways of creating electricity (finally). Watch for the very companies who have the most to lose being the ones who fund it. It is the beginning of a full realization that a change of thinking is at hand. You can take things from Gaia that are energy, instead of physical resources. We speak yet again about geothermal, about tidal, about wind. Again, we plead with you not to over-engineer this. For one of the things that Human Beings do in a technological age is to over-engineer simple things. Look at nuclear - the most over-engineered and expensive steam engine in existence!

Your current ideas of capturing energy from tidal and wave motion don't have to be technical marvels. Think paddle wheel on a pier with waves, which will create energy in both directions [waves coming and going] tied to a generator that can power dozens of neighborhoods, not full cities. Think simple and decentralize the idea of utilities. The same goes for wind and geothermal. Think of utilities for groups of homes in a cluster. You won't have a grid failure if there is no grid. This is the way of the future, and you'll be more inclined to have it sooner than later if you do this, and it won't cost as much.

Water

We've told you that one of the greatest natural resources of the planet, which is going to shift and change and be mysterious to you, is fresh water. It's going to be the next gold, dear ones. So, we have also given you some hints and examples and again we plead: Even before the potentials of running out of it, learn how to desalinate water in real time without heat. It's there, it's doable, and some already have it in the lab. This will create inexpensive fresh water for the planet. 

There is a change of attitude that is starting to occur. Slowly you're starting to see it and the only thing getting in the way of it are those companies with the big money who currently have the old system. That's starting to change as well. For the big money always wants to invest in what it knows is coming next, but it wants to create what is coming next within the framework of what it has "on the shelf." What is on the shelf is oil, coal, dams, and non-renewable resource usage. It hasn't changed much in the last 100 years, has it? Now you will see a change of free choice. You're going to see decisions made in the boardrooms that would have curled the toes of those two generations ago. Now "the worst thing they could do" might become "the best thing they could do." That, dear ones, is a change of free choice concept. When the thinkers of tomorrow see options that were never options before, that is a shift. That was number four. ….”

Interpol probing missing Kiribati fund donated by Taiwan

Want China Times, CNA and Staff Reporter 2014-10-16

A press conference held by Taiwan's foreign ministry on the missing
aid fund in Taipei, Oct. 15. (Photo/CNA)

The Pacific island nation of Kiribati has launched an investigation into a missing aid fund donated by Taiwan earlier this year, a case in which Interpol has involved itself, officials said Wednesday.

Taiwan gave the money to Kiribati to help it purchase a landing craft to improve transportation around the nation. But Radio New Zealand International reported Tuesday that the aid fund has gone missing and Taiwan is demanding an explanation of what happened to the US$1.5 million.

The Kiribati Independent reported that the Kiribati government said "the money was wired to an overseas account, but apparently not that of the boat builder." Kiribati's commerce minister said that "the money has been stolen and there was nothing the government could do, but Kiribati police are now investigating," the report added.

Elliott Charng, director-general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Department of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, said the initial results of the probe will be released soon, without giving a specific timeframe.

Charng said that in addition to the judicial probe launched by the Pacific nation, which has formal ties with Taiwan, Interpol has also involved itself in the investigation. Preliminary results have already been produced and will be released at an appropriate time, he said at a news conference called by Taiwanese lawmakers over the issue.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Anna Kao said separately Wednesday that the funds consisted of A$1.7 million (US$1.5 million) donated to the nation of 100,000 people at a ceremony in January. She said Taiwan's embassy in Kiribati has checked with the government there on the progress of the aid project, as Taiwan regularly keeps track of aid given to its diplomatic allies.

"They had also reported to us on the process of the project," Kao added, though the regular checks were apparently not enough to prevent the funds from going missing.

Taiwan has expressed concerns about the lost aid fund and is seeking follow-up information from Kiribati, she said.

The Kiribati government has formed a task force to look into lapses in internal management of the money and will punish anyone found accountable, she said.

Kiribati is one of Taiwan's 22 diplomatic allies, most of which are Pacific island nations and countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Taitung bans harvesting of juvenile giant clams

Want China Times, CNA 2014-05-05

A giant clam. (File photo/China Times)

Taitung county in eastern Taiwan has banned the harvesting of giant clams measuring 15 centimeters and smaller in the waters off Green island, listing the mollusk as a protected species.

The ban also prohibits harvesting giant clams of any size from the areas around Caikou, Shilang and Guiwan in the island township, one of Taiwan's most popular destinations for leisure diving activities.

Violators will face a fine ranging from NT$30,000 to NT$150,000 (US$1,000-US$5,000).

Giant clams, dubbed "the beautiful flowers of the sea" by locals for their colorful outer mantles, are the world's largest bivalve mollusk. Their characteristic vivid colors come from the symbiotic algae that grow on their tissue.

The largest ever found in the corals around Green Island measured 150 centimeters in length. But local fishermen and diving instructors have noticed a sharp decline in the number of large giant clams.

One local diver recalled that there were visible signs of giant clams as big as 30-cm long in shallow waters as recently as three or four years ago. Now, he says, he has to dive 20 meters down to find any bigger than 15 cm.

"The only ones left are 'children' less than 15-cm long," the diver said, lamenting the fact that government did not impose a ban earlier.

Giant clams in the wild grow by just 3-4 cm a year, a county official said. "It would take more than 30 years (for a giant clam) to grow to 150 centimeters long."

The government blames the reduction in population on over-harvesting by tourist divers and some locals looking to collect the colorful shells.

In addition to the newly introduced ban, the county has teamed up with the Fisheries Research Institute under the Council of Agriculture to develop a conservation plan aimed at replenishing the giant clam population.

They are also drawing up plans to set up a giant clam-centered marine biology education platform to turn Green island into a top spot for ecology education, the government said.

Conservationists raise concerns about bluefin tuna stocks

Want China Times, CNA 2014-04-20

The two fish at the annual Pingtung Bluefin Tuna Festival in Donggang. (Photo/CNA)

Conservationists showed up at a bluefin tuna auction in the southern county of Pingtung on Saturday to promote awareness of the diminishing population of the species.

The auction of the season's first bluefin tuna catch was held as part of the annual Pingtung Bluefin Tuna Festival in Donggang. The two fishes — weighing 299.6kg and 280kg, respectively — fetched a total of NT$2.8 million (US$95,600) at the auction.

The Greenpeace members held banners that urged Taiwan's Fisheries Agency to "do conservation work properly" and they handed out balloons to remind visitors that "the bluefin tuna population has decreased by 96.4% over the last 60 years."

They urged Taiwan, a member of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission, to ask Japan, Korea and Mexico to cut their catches of young bluefin tuna by half to sustain fish stocks.

Speaking at the auction, Council of Agriculture deputy minister Hu Hsing-hua stressed that Taiwan has made great efforts to conserve the bluefin tuna species.

Every year, only 660 vessels are allowed to catch bluefin tuna, and longline fishing is being used instead of purse-seining, in order to protect the young fish, Hu said.

He also said the purpose of the Pingtung Bluefin Tuna Festival is not to promote bluefin tuna eating but rather to encourage people to visit Donggang to boost the local economy.

Illegal waste dumping destroys Taoyuan's algal reefs

Want China Times, Huang Yi-ying and Staff Reporter 2014-01-25

A dead pig in a river near the Guanyin Industrial Park. The industrial waste
 dumped in the river is reportedly so toxic that even the bacteria that would
normally cause a dead animal to decompose cannot survive. (Photo/Chen Hsin-han)

Illegal dumping of industrial waste over the past three decades since the Guanyin Industrial Park was inaugurated in 1983 has severely affected the ecosytem of algal reefs in Taoyuan in northern Taiwan, where local rivers have turned black due to pollution.

The body of a pig that drowned in one of the rivers saw no signs of decomposition for a week, as bacteria that would normally break down the remains have been killed by the pollution, our sister paper China Times reported.

Pan Chung-cheng, the director of an environmental protection organization in Taoyuan, said the industrial park was cursed as soon as it started polluting. "For 30 years, the factories have not stopped discharging liquid industrial waste into rivers since 1983. All the rivers are black and nothing can survive in there," he said.

Taiwan counts less than 50 kilometers of algal reef along its 1,500 kilometers of coastline. Taoyuan county accounts for just over half of this, but the majority has been destroyed by pollution. Though the government belatedly became aware of the importance of the ecosystem two years ago, work to turn the situation around has been launched too late and no matter how much factories are fined, the algal reefs are dying out.

Furthermore, factories are still illegally dumping waste. "The government has long been corrupted by local companies and the people here have lost hope of fighting both the government and the factories," said Pan.

The Guanyin Industrial Park has 333 legal companies on 632 hectares of land as well as numerous others which have settled there illegally. But all of the companies, legal and illegal, pollute the country in similar ways.

Yeh Si-kuei, an environmental activist who often takes part in raids to catch illegal dumping, said local mafia often protect the perpetrators of illegal waste dumping.

Yeh said the rivers they are trying to protect used to be full of fish. But now the rivers are black, and nothing can live in them.

Duck for cover: Popular artwork shields KMT in Keelung

Want China Times, Lin Sih-huei, Chen Wen-hsin and Staff Reporter 2013-12-31

Bathtime for Rubber Duck in grimy Keelung on Dec. 28. (Photo/Chen Chih-yuan)

It is a truism that in Taiwan there is political mileage to be gained from anything you might care to mention. Yet the hugely popular Rubber Duck floating art installation has proved remarkably immune to politicization. An opposition Democratic Progressive Party deputy secretary general was even advised not to use any issue related to the Rubber Duck as a means of attack as it would be more likely to backfire.

Rubber Duck is currently on show in the harbor of the northern city of Keelung, its third and final port of call in Taiwan. It was initiated in Keelung by the city council's chairman Huang Ching-tai but the city quickly came under the scrutiny of local media after the artwork's creator Florentijn Hofman criticized the "commercial circus" that had sprung up around his work and accused event organizer Jerry Fan of breach of contract for selling unauthorized duck-related merchandise at an exhibition hall close to the installation.

Keelung has long been in the hands of the Kuomintang, with which Huang is affiliated. But there has been increasing dissatisfaction with the party's performance among locals, and the city has been ranked as the place in Taiwan where people feel their quality of life is the lowest. This has given the DPP confidence of scoring a coup — but also goes to explain why Rubber Duck has given locals a bit of much-needed cheer.

Keelung has not been kind to Rubber Duck, however. Poor weather and dirt from nearby docking ships saw the installation coated in a visible layer of grime just days after its unveiling on Dec. 21. The DPP reportedly intended to use this as a metaphor to attack the KMT's grubby rule over the harbor city and to suggest that corruption will continue in the city if its government does not change.

But the party eventually stayed its hand amid fears that criticism of Rubber Duck could hurt the feelings of locals and damage tourism. Although it would represent a small victory at the city council, using the duck as a weapon could ultimately harm the DPP more than its opponent.

An election staff member at the KMT admitted that Huang is vulnerable to negative news reports about him and the city, but found that it was difficult for people to relate Rubber Duck to politics.

The KMT predicts the next election in the city will be decided by fewer than 10,000 votes. The party is relying on three trump cards: Rubber Duck, the party primary and the National Museum of Marine Science & Technology, while the DPP's campaign pledge is to build a rapid transit system like the Taipei metro.

As of press time, the duck had reportedly exploded unexpectedly on Tuesday afternoon. The political ramifications of this dramatic new development are yet to be seen.

The Rubber Duck reappears at the Keelung port, Jan 3. 

(Photo/Teng Po-jen)

Related Articles:

Rubber Duck returns to Keelung after repairs

Visitors mourn for Rubber Duck in Taiwan on New Year wishing wall

Duck down: Keelung Rubber Duck perishes in unexplained tragedy

A series of photos capture the moment Rubber Duck split down one side
and rapidly deflated on Dec. 31. (Photo/CNA)

Indonesian Fishermen Stranded in South Africa After Horror Story at Sea

Jakarta Globe – AFP, Stuart Graham, December 2, 2013

Two of the 75 Indonesian fishermen living on seven rusted Taiwanese-registered
fishing boats sit at Cape Town Harbor on Nov. 28, 2013. (AFP Photo/Rodger Bosch)

Cape Town. Dozens of Indonesian fishermen who spent months stranded in Cape Town’s harbor, sleeping in cramped and suffocating quarters, have been taken ashore to a repatriation center after being stuck at sea for years without pay.

The group of 75 fishermen tell of slavery-like working conditions aboard seven Taiwanese-owned vessels — an ordeal that only grew worse when South African authorities impounded their trawlers for illegal fishing.

The crew spent three months stranded in Cape Town’s Table Bay, sleeping crowded together in dirty, airless quarters that reeked of diesel, until they were moved to a repatriation center in Johannesburg on Saturday.

The captain has been arrested, but the men lacked the legal papers to go ashore, and had been living like prisoners on the trawlers, dependent on the compassion of locals for food.

Some of the men say they were recruited by agents in Jakarta with promises of earning up to $200 a day fishing tuna.

But once on board they were forced to work round-the-clock with little food and no pay.

“You can start at two o’clock in the morning and work all the way to 10 at night. And then two o’clock in the morning you start again,” one dejected worker told AFP.

Many of the fishermen did not want to give their names for fear of repercussions from the recruitment agents back home who lived near their families.

After local media began covering the men’s story, immigration officials took them ashore, said Miriam Augustus, who had been providing them with food and water.

“I asked the policeman why they are moving the fishermen,” Augustus said. ”He said, ‘This is what happens when you go to newspapers and say bad things about the country.’”

South Africa’s fisheries department did not respond to requests for information on the men.

The men said despite their horror story, they are determined to wait for payment, saying they cannot afford to go back home penniless.

“I have a wife and three children at home,” said one man. ”After all this time how can I return without even one cent to my name?”

Laundry hangs on seven rusted Taiwanese-registered fishing boats where 75 stranded
 Indonesian fishermen have been living at Cape Town Harbor, on Nov. 28, 2013
(AFP, Rodger Bosch)

‘Floating shanties’

A 44-year-old man said he had worked on various vessels for 37 months without pay, often transferred to other boats when his contract expired.

The men also claim that at times they were ordered to repaint the name of their vessel at least five times a day, in an attempt to evade fishing authorities.

Tuna was not the only fish caught during their lengthy stay at sea. Other catch included swordfish, dolphins and sharks, in contravention of local marine laws.

A fishing log from one boat showed a catch of 70 tones.

Cassiem Augustus, a ship inspector for the International Transport Workers’ Federation, said the trawlers were like “floating shanties.”

“This is a blatant case of abuse and human trafficking,” he said. ”They have been abandoned by their agents and no one knows who the owners of these vessels are.”

He said inside the vessel there was one toilet for 12 men and that they had been drinking out of a tap used to pump oil one day and water the next.

“The conditions were inhumane. None of these men have been paid a cent, despite working 20 hour days. It’s slavery at sea.”

A spokeswoman for the Indonesian consulate in Cape Town said the fishermen were mostly uneducated and were from rural areas.

“They have no jobs and when they are offered one they become excited,” she said.

Maritime lawyer Alan Goldberg, who has applied for the vessels to be auctioned on behalf of the crew, suspect that the trawlers were owned by fishing cartels.

“These tales of abuse are the ordinary course of business in the longline fishing industry,” he said.

He said he doubted the run-down fiberglass boats would fetch a high price.

Agence France-Presse

Two dolphins stranded in Taichung, one survives

Want China Times, CNA 2013-11-04

Rescuers try to save one of the dolphins, Nov. 3. (Photo/CNA)

Coast Guard personnel found two beached rough-toothed dolphins in central Taiwan over the weekend and was able to rescue one of them and hand it over to a research institution for treatment.

The two dolphins — one female and one male — were found on the beach one after the other near Song Bo Harbor in Taichung's Dajia District, according to the Coast Guard Administration's central office.

A larger, female dolphin weighing about 200 kilograms, was found Saturday with bruises which did not appear to be life-threatening, the office said.

Personnel from the Coast Guard office kept the stranded animal wet before contacting National Cheng Kung University's Marine Biology & Cetacean Research Center for help.

The dolphin is now being treated and monitored at a wildlife protection area in Tainan.

The other dolphin, which weighed about 80 kilograms, was found dead on a nearby beach Sunday morning. The body of the male animal was turned over by the Taiwan Cetacean Society (TCS) to National Taiwan University to be examined.

Those handling the case would not speculate on reasons why the two animals ended up on the beach.

TCS official Kuo Hsiang-hsia said the group will try to establish the cause of the incident and the relationship between the two dolphins, and it was not ruling out the possibility that the two dolphins were mother and son.

Awareness of wildlife protection in Taiwan has improved in recent years with organizations such as the Taiwan Cetacean Society and the Marine Biology & Cetacean Research Center often mobilized to help stranded animals on short notice.

Giant yellow duck victim of Taiwan quake

Google – AFP, 1 November 2013

Local residents gather to see Florentijn Hofman's giant rubber duck at a harbor

 in the Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung, on September 19, 2013 (The Kaohsiung City

Government/AFP/File, The Kaohsiung City Government)

Taipei — A giant yellow duck on display in Taiwan became a high-profile victim of Thursday's earthquake after it deflated before exploding during an attempt to reinflate it, officials said Friday.

The 18-metre-tall (59-feet) duck in northern Taoyuan county began to deflate when an air pump went off during a power outage triggered by the 6.3-magnitude quake on Thursday night.

The earthquake shook buildings in the capital Taipei and across much of Taiwan, sending panicked residents running for shelter, although only a few minor injuries and little damage were reported.

However, organisers were forced to suspend the exhibit of Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman's giant bath-toy replica, after powerful winds caused the duck's rear end to burst while it was being re-inflated on Friday morning, rendering it a flattened yellow disc floating on a pond.

Officials said the damage would be difficult to repair and they were planning to borrow another Hofman-designed duck commissioned by Kaohsiung city government, which attracted four million visitors during a one-month display in the southern port earlier this year.

The duck in Kaohsiung -- a slightly larger version of the one that captivated Hong Kong recently -- was temporarily deflated and lifted to land as a safety precaution when the powerful Typhoon Usagi pounded the island in September.

Since 2007 the original duck designed by Hofman -- which is 16.5 metres tall -- has travelled to 13 cities in nine countries, including Brazil and Australia, on its journey around the world.

Thousands in Kaohsiung catch last-minute Rubber Duck fever

Want China Times, CNA 2013-10-20

People flock to Kaohsiung Harbor for a last glimpse of the Rubber Duck, Oct. 19.
(Photo/Hsieh Ming-tso)

Thousands of admirers flocked to Kaohsiung Harbor on Saturday for a last glimpse of the city's world-famous Rubber Duck inflatable sculpture, which will conclude its appearance in the southern Taiwan city on Sunday.

The city's Glory Harbor was packed with buses from early Saturday morning bringing tourists to admire and pose for pictures with the floating art, which has drawn 3.5 million spectators since being put on display a month ago, according to the Kaohsiung City government.

Designed by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, the installation was expected to attract some 200,000 spectators on Saturday, officials said.

A closing ceremony for Hofman's duck campaign in Kaohsiung will be held at 4pm on Sunday, and the city has encouraged the duck's fans to dress in yellow to bid it farewell.

The 18-meter-tall, 1,000-kilogram yellow duck will then be deflated and stored, perhaps for another occasion in the future, but Rubber Duck fever will continue in Taiwan, with Taoyuan county to display its own version of the Rubber Duck at a festival between Oct. 26 and Nov. 10.

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820kg of dolphin meat seized from Taiwan fisherman's fridge

Want China Times, Staff Reporter 2013-09-20

Huang was found in possession of bottlenose and Risso's dolphin meat,
as well as other prohibited species including shark and seal. (Photo/
ROC Coast Guard)

Some 820 kilograms of dolphin meat was seized by Taiwan's coast guard at the home of a fisherman named Huang in Yunlin county on the country's western coast on Sept. 17, reports our sister paper China Times.

The sale of dolphin meat is illegal and can be punished with a fine of between US$10,000-$50,000 under Taiwanese law.

Huang told authorities that he and his wife began to sell dolphin to local restaurants two years ago lured by the money to be made from strong demand for dolphin sausage around the time of the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival holiday.

Huang had been under surveillance by the authorities for four months and the haul of 820 kilograms consisted of both bottlenose and Risso's dolphin.

The authorities also found the meat of other protected marine species including shark and seal in Huang's refrigerator. Huang said he bought the dolphin meat from a supplier in northern Taiwan at a price of US$5 per catty (600g) and resold it for US$8 per catty.

On this occasion Huang had bought a total of 1,000 kilograms of dolphin meat in total and had shifted 180 kg in just two days.