/2019-08-07

#Kinmen, plus connue, lors des crises du détroit de Taïwan (1955-56 et 1958) sous le nom de #Quemoy

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/11/Kinmen%2CMatsu%2CWuciou.png

Mysterious Chinese warship slams into Taiwane... | Taiwan News
▻https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3756295

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In a press release issued today by the Coast Guard Administration, Ocean Affairs Council, the Kinmen-Matsu-Penghu Branch reported that at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, the Yutai No. 1 was slammed into by a Chinese warship 19.5 miles southeast of Liaoluo Port in Kinmen, according to CNA. The Taiwanese ship sustained damage but none of its crew were injured, according to the report.
[…]
A source familiar with the situation told China Times that the Chinese warship involved in the accident was one of two PLAN ships that were prowling in the Taiwan Strait near the island of Kinmen on Wednesday night. One of them has never been exposed to the media before.

The Type 071 amphibious transport dock “Longhushan” was commissioned late last year, the tonnage of which is only rivaled by China’s aircraft carrier “Liaoning” in the PLAN fleet. The other ship is believed to an unknown cruiser.

According to the report, it is not known which of the two ships is the one that caused the accident. Based on the size and the tonnage of the Yutai No. 1, it is speculated that the damage could have been inflicted by the mysterious cruiser, but the actual situation remains to be clarified by an investigation.

China Warship Collision Led to Standoff, Freighter Captain Says - Bloomberg
(on notera l’âge du commandant du vraquier : 72 ans,…)
▻https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-08-07/china-warship-collision-led-to-standoff-freighter-captain-says

• Taiwan cargo ship collided with Chinese navy vessel last week
• Navy vessel tried to divert freighter to mainland Chinese
[…]
The Taiwanese-registered bulk carrier Yutai No. 1 collided with a Chinese naval vessel around 20 nautical miles southeast of Taiwan-controlled Kinmen Island late on July 31, Fu Shih-hour, the cargo ship’s captain, told Bloomberg News on Tuesday. Fu said he had called the Taiwanese coast guard for assistance after the captain of the Chinese warship tried to persuade him to divert to the mainland port of Xiamen.

“When they arrived, the coast guard told the Chinese captain very clearly that we were in international waters and that we were under no obligation to follow their orders,” Fu said in a telephone interview from the southern Taiwanese port of Kaohsiung. “It’s not as if we were in Chinese waters and had to listen to them. The other captain wasn’t happy about it, but had to begrudgingly accept it.”
[…]
The identity of the Chinese ship has been a topic of debate since the incident. The Taipei-based China Times reported last Friday it may have been the Longhushan, China’s newest amphibious transport dock. The vessel is designed to transfer helicopters, hovercraft and several hundred troops to shore during an attack.

China’s Taiwan Affairs Office and ministries for national defense and foreign affairs didn’t return faxed requests for comment on the incident.

Fu said he was unable to clearly identify the ship in the dark and it didn’t appear to have its automatic identification system (AIS) turned on. He said only it was definitely a military ship and was traveling very fast. He estimated the ship to be at least 100 meters (330 feet) in length.
[…]
Fu, 72, was keen to play down any potential political ramifications from the incident.

“This was just a simple incident at sea. It shouldn’t be blown out of proportion. Neither of us meant to collide with each other,” he said. “I don’t blame the other captain for not having the AIS turned on because navy ships don’t usually use it. It wasn’t on purpose.”