Taiwan fines Iranian boxship over illegal waste fuel discharge
- Published
by Admin
Taiwanese officials boarded the Iranian boxship Sarvin upon arrival at the port of Kaohsiung on Sunday (4 March) to issue a NT $1.5 million fine ($51,150), which has since been paid by its shipping agent.
The 41,971 deadweight tonne (dwt) Sarvin was caught releasing about 5 metric tonnes (mt) of waste fuel off the coast of Kaohsiung during 9 October 2017, according to Taipei Times.
A EU Sentinel-1 satellite initially captured images of a 60 kilometre (km) long pollution trail behind the vessel, leading to a multi-agency effort to track it down.
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) was asked to help analyse the image, while the Ministry of Transportation and Communications’ Harbor and Marine Technology Center identified the Sarvin through its automatic identification system.
Investigations lead to the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) deciding to fine the vessel’s owner NT $1.5 million for contravening Article 29 of the Marine Pollution Control Act.
Published: 5 March, 2018
