TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – At approximately 6:00 p.m. on Friday (Aug. 2), a small freight ship preparing to unload cargo at Wuqiu’s (烏坵) northern wharf in Taiwan’s Kinmen County accidentally collided with a concrete breaker near port, causing serious damage to the ship’s hull.

The ship, named the Da Chuan (大川), immediately began taking on dangerous amounts of water and sent out a distress signal to the local coast guard for assistance. The local coast guard and Marine Corps garrison on Wuqiu each dispatched a small lifeboat to rescue the 13 crew members from the sinking Da Chuan.

Reports suggest that strong winds and waves were responsible for the ship’s collision with the breaker as it was entering port. Once the captain realized the ship had sustained serious damage, he sent out an SOS immediately and steered south of the port before dropping anchor, reports UDN.

The lifeboats dispatched by the military arrived at approximately 6:40 p.m. and safely transported crew members to a beach nearby. The boat was reportedly carrying 10 tons of diesel fuel, and 27 tons of regular gasoline. No leaks have yet been reported from the partially sunken ship.

Liberty Times reports that the Kinmen Department of Environmental Protection has formed an ad hoc group to investigate the situation and formulate a prompt response to ensure minimal damage to the local environment.

Crew members arrive safely at shore (Photo from Taiwan Coast Guard)