On July 4th, 2023, a Palau-flagged container ship named ANGEL, owned by NAVRAMAR Shipping Inc., with a gross tonnage of 16145 and IMO number 9256406, was carrying 19 Azerbaijani crew members (1 Master and 18 crew members). The ship was loaded with 1,349 empty 20-foot standard containers, and anchored at the second anchorage area of the Port of Kaohsiung. Between July 4th and July 20, the ANGEL remained anchored at the second anchorage area in the Port of Kaohsiung. The ship experienced ballast water ingress into its cargo holds, with the water reaching a height of about 4.5 meters. Around 0830 hours on July 20, the main generator of the ANGEL failed, resulting in the loss of electrical power. Subsequently, the ballast pumps and a portable pump stopped pumping out the water. At approximately 0931 hours, the ship's hull tilted about 8 to 9 degrees to the portside, prompting the Master to issue a distress signal. By 1000 hours, the Master announced the decision to abandon the ship. At 0530 hours on July 21, the ANGEL completely sank 2.8 miles west of the First Harbor of the Port of Kaohsiung, leading to a total loss. Fortunately, all 19 crew members were safely evacuated ashore.

Following the occurrence, the Taiwan Transportation Safety Board (TTSB) investigation task force was dispatched to investigate the occurrence according to the provisions of the Transportation Occurrences Investigation Act. The task force performed personnel interviews, evidence collection, salvage, and decoding of the voyage data recorder.

TTSB held an organizational meeting to form an investigation team on July 28, 2023. In addition to TTSB, the team members also included the Palau (flag state) accredited representative, the Maritime Port Bureau, Ministry of Transportation and Communications, Taiwan International Ports Co. Ltd., Golden Port Asia Co. Ltd., Lead Shine Marine Service Corp., S5 Asia Ltd. Taiwan Branch. Above mentioned team members continued to assist the investigation team in collecting and sharing relevant factual information. A draft factual data report was compiled by the investigation team. All the relevant agencies completed the verification of the factual data report in Chinese in December 2023. The factual data report was translated into English and released in January 2024.

The information of factual data report would be the first chapter of the complete investigation report. The complete investigation report includes 4 chapters, Chapter 1 Factual Information, Chapter 2 Analysis, Chapter 3 Conclusions, and Chapter 4 Safety Recommendations. The investigation draft report is expected to be completed in July 2024. The subsequent draft report must complete the review process such as preliminary review by the TTSB Board Meeting, consulting with relevant units, and the final approval by the TTSB Board Meeting. The final investigation report is expected to be released in December 2024. Through an independent, impartial, and professional investigation, the probable causes of the occurrence would be determined. Appropriate safety recommendations would be made to prevent similar occurrences from happening again.

The full text of this factual data report can be downloaded at the TTSB website：https://www.ttsb.gov.tw

Vivi Yang, Secretariat Office
Tel: +886-2-7727-6217
E-mail: viviy2314@ttsb.gov.tw

Michael GUAN, Deputy Chief Investigator
Marine Occurrence Investigation Division
Tel: +886-2-7727-6202
E-mail: michael@ttsb.gov.tw