Taiwan rescues all crew members from the stricken ship as a super typhoon approaches

Authorities in Taiwan have completed a dramatic helicopter rescue of 19 crew members from a stricken ship that went down as Super Typhoon Krathon brings strong winds and heavy rain to the island.

All those in the Barbados-registered “Blue Lagoon” were rescued, the coast guard said in a statement. Rescuers used helicopters to lift sailors from the bulk carrier’s taxiway, hours after the crew decided to abandon the sinking ship.

The successful rescue underscores Taiwan’s efforts to quickly respond to the typhoon, which include releasing water from dams and sending hundreds of troops to the south and east of the island, which are already dealing with heavy rains. However, the storm is expected to affect the island more, which has canceled all 234 domestic flights scheduled for Wednesday.

Taiwan has just pulled off a dramatic rescue of 19 crew members from a stricken ship that was sinking due to Super Typhoon Krathon. Helicopters brought the crew to safety despite terrible weather and rough seas. Here is the video from the Taiwan Coast Guard Administration. pic.twitter.com/968ds0LJh8
— Cindy Wang (@hwang61) October 1, 2024

Schools and offices were closed in six cities and towns in southern and eastern Taiwan on Tuesday, including the key industrial port city of Kaohsiung, and the islands of Penghu and Matsu announced Tuesday night closures. There were about 23 injured in Taiwan, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare. The slow-moving storm could close offices and markets in the capital Taipei as early as Wednesday.

Taiwan will shut down its $2.5 trillion stock market on Wednesday. (Editor’s note: This article was originally published by Bloomberg on Tuesday, October 1).

There were no immediate reports of casualties in the northern Philippines, where the storm formed earlier this week. Super Typhoon Krathon, known as Julian in the Philippines, left the country’s waters on Tuesday morning, according to its weather office.

The stricken ship Blue Lagoon was southwest of Taiwan’s Orchid Island, right in the path of the storm, and the crew included seven Ukrainians, nine Egyptians and three Russians. It was carrying 67,500 tons of ore from China to Singapore, according to the coast guard.

The storm was about 200 kilometers (124 miles) south-southwest of Kaohsiung at 4:15 p.m., with winds of 198 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 245 km/h, according to the Central Meteorological Administration of Taiwan.

While the southern and eastern parts of the island continue to deal with heavy rain and strong winds, the weather in the capital Taipei was relatively calm for most of Tuesday after a few gusts in the morning.

Some 152 ship crossings were canceled on Tuesday, along with 88 domestic flights and 24 international flights, according to Taiwanese authorities. About 7,800 people in seven counties were protectively evacuated, according to the Central Emergency Operations Center.

Taiwan, which began canceling flights, boat trips and some train services earlier this week, regularly faces typhoons. In July, it closed offices and schools and suspended the stock market for two days as storm Gaemi battered the island.

But most such storms usually hit the less populated east coast, and Krathon appears to have an impact on the west, where most of Taiwan’s heavy industry and manufacturing is located. Kaohsiung alone has more than 7,700 factories, including a factory built by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.

“TSMC has activated routine typhoon alert preparation procedures at all of our factories and construction sites in Taiwan, and we do not expect a significant impact on our operations,” the company said in an email. These measures include putting emergency response teams on standby, inspecting drainage systems and minimizing the use of temporary facilities exposed to high winds.

Krathon’s impact on the Philippines appears to have been much less severe than the storms seen earlier this year. At least 22 people died in the country in July when Gaemi worsened the seasonal monsoon rains. In early September, at least 15 people died in the country as Typhoon Yagi triggered floods and landslides.

The Philippines said that while more than 77,000 people had been affected by this week’s storm, fewer than 1,800 had been evacuated. About eight areas remain flooded and heavy rains are still being recorded in several provinces.

Photo: People carry sandbags from the city government district offices to be distributed in Kaohsiung as Super Typhoon Krathon moved toward Taiwan on October 1, 2024. Photo credit: Walid Berrazeg/AFP/Getty Images

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