The Panama-flagged bulker CSE Prosperity Express ran aground off Hualien, Taiwan, on January 1 after reporting a main engine malfunction in adverse weather.
The vessel was waiting for pilotage to berth at Hualien when it was hit by a strong northeast monsoon and heavy seas, causing it to drift toward the shoreline. In response, Taiwan’s authorities dispatched tug No. 13205 to assist the distressed ship.
Reports say the assisting tug lost pulling power after becoming entangled in the CSE Prosperity Express towing lines. Due to the deteriorating weather and the tug’s proximity to a rocky and sandy coast, authorities deemed it unsafe to evacuate five crew members by conventional means.
A Black Hawk helicopter was deployed to airlift the tug’s crew. One crew member sustained a head injury and was taken to hospital.
All 17 crew members on board the bulker—five Filipinos and 12 Taiwanese—are reported safe and not in immediate danger. The vessel remains aground and is awaiting a refloating operation.
Built in 2006, CSE Prosperity Express is 169.26 meters long and 27.2 meters wide. The ship was sailing from the Tathong anchorage area, Thailand, to Hualien, Taiwan.
