‘No name, no home port, no cert’: Taiwan seizes unregistered Chinese refuelling boat
Sign up now: Get insights on Asia's fast-moving developments
In February, Taiwan ordered a Chinese cargo ship captain to be detained for severing an undersea telecoms cable off the island.
PHOTO: AFP
TAIPEI – Taipei has detained a Chinese boat suspected of illegally supplying fuel to fishing boats trespassing in Taiwanese waters on March 23, the Taiwanese coast guard said.
The incident happened off the north-west coast near the cities of Taoyuan and Hsinchu, south of the capital Taipei, the coast guard said.
The boat ignored repeated warnings and “zigzagged to flee before it was brought under control”.
The boat was “an unregistered Chinese refuelling boat with its name painted over” operating in Taiwan’s restricted waters, the coast guard said. “It had no name, no registered home port and no ship certificate.”
The coast guard said the vessel was carrying around 500,000 litres of fuel and had attempted to supply fuel to other Chinese ships unlawfully entering Taiwanese waters.
The six crew members on board were “Chinese nationals with no identification documents”, the coast guard said.
The boat was escorted back to port near Taipei and the crew members were taken in for questioning.
Illegal fishing by Chinese boats has been a recurring concern for Taiwan, which has stepped up patrols to deter unauthorised boats and activities.
China claims self-ruled Taiwan as its own territory and has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control.
A series of incidents involving boats from both sides has fuelled tensions across the narrow waterway.
In February, Taiwan ordered a Chinese cargo ship captain to be detained
