The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) has recently carried out a rescue drill in waters surrounding Taiwan-controlled Taiping Island in the South China Sea, the CGA said Saturday.
The Oct. 28 exercise, according to a CGA release, was conducted as part of the government’s commitment to transforming the island into a base for humanitarian aid and supplies in the South China Sea.
The drill simulated a fire in the engine room of a Taiwanese-registered workboat while its 20-member crew was carrying out dredging work near a Taiping port, leading to some injured while others escaped into the water, it said.
A team comprising of several vessels including the 4,000-ton coast guard patrol ship named “Chiayi” took part in the rescue, the CGA said, with unmanned aerial vehicles flown to cast lifebuoys to those seeking help in water.
Meanwhile, an oil spill was also simulated, during which booms were used to prevent oil from further spreading into the surrounding water.
The CGA said it was the first time that the Chiayi vessel had participated in a drill, providing remote telemedicine via video consultation with doctors stationed in Taiping and Kaohsiung Armed Forces General Hospital.
Commissioned in April 2021, the Chiayi is equipped with a medical facility that includes a surgery suite, a dental room, a burn center, and a negative pressure area, said the CGA. A medical officer is also stationed on the vessel, which is responsible for handling the transport of supplies to Taiwan-controlled Taiping and Dongsha islands.
The coast guard said it would continue to plan and conduct humanitarian drills in the South China Sea in the future, as part of a commitment to making Taiping a base for humanitarian aid and supplies in the region.
Taiping Island, the largest of the naturally occurring Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, lies 1,600 kilometers southwest of Kaohsiung and is administered as part of the southern Taiwan municipality’s Cijin District.
It is one of the two territories controlled by Taiwan in the South China Sea, the other being Dongsha, or Pratas Island, which lies 450 kilometers southwest of Kaohsiung.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel