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Shipwreck causes massive oil slick in Taiwan

This ship left a hull of a mess off the coast of Taiwan.

The Taiwanese cargo ship T.S. Taipei recently broke apart and became stranded on a reef near Shihmen in New Taipei City, causing a massive oil slick.

The 15,487-ton ship ran aground in a storm while it was sailing from Hong Kong to Keelung Port in Taiwan.EPA

More than 100 workers have been trying to clean up the maritime mess, but bad weather has hampered their efforts.

“Even if the oil stains can be removed swiftly, massive deaths of fish and other marine animals in the area are expected due to lack of oxygen in the water,” Michael Lee, secretary-general of the nonprofit Society of Wilderness, told AFP.

“It could take at least three years for the local ecological system to recover to some extent,” he added.

More than a mile of coastline has already been polluted since the ship ran aground March 10.