A strong storm is complicating efforts to take the crew off a bulker that suffered flooding off Taiwan.
Typhoon Krathon is bringing strong winds and heavy rains to the region.
Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said it airlifted six of the 19 seafarers on board the 79,500-dwt Blue Lagoon (built 2010) on Tuesday.
Taiwan News reported that the crew of the Barbados-flagged bulker decided to abandon ship at 05:00 local time near Orchid Island after the vessel developed a list due to water ingress in the engine room.
The National Airborne Service Corps used a helicopter for the operation, which had earlier been aborted due to the bad weather.
A patrol ship is helping with the operation.
CNA reported that the crew consists of nine Egyptians, seven Ukrainians and three Russians.
The CGA said the Blue Lagoon was carrying 67,500 tonnes of ore.
There are also 39 tonnes of marine gasoil and 227 tonnes of very low-sulphur fuel oil on board.
Detained in Netherlands
The Blue Lagoon left Caofeidian in China on 24 September, bound for Singapore, where it is due on 6 October.
The last AIS update came 12 hours ago.
The vessel has insurance cover from West of England in the UK.
The ship was detained for four days following a port state control inspection in Rotterdam in May 2023, with eight deficiencies.
Grounds for detention included faults relating to safety of navigation, the structural condition of fuel and ballast tanks, and the weathertight conditions of cargo and other hatches.
The 229-metre ship is operated by Unimanager of Latvia, which could not be contacted.
VesselsValue assesses the panamax as worth $14m.
Taiwanese authorities are also trying to secure three cargo ships stranded near Tainan.
The plan had been to dismantle the ships, which were damaged by Typhoon Gaemi in July.
Measures are being taken to prevent fuel leaks.
