Taiwanese authorities have been searching for a chief officer who was reported overboard from a Vietnamese bulk carrier.
He was one of four Vietnamese crew members who fell from the 56,000-dwt supramax VIMC Sunrise (built 2006) off Mailiao on Monday, domestic media reported.
One report blamed Typhoon Nisha for the accident.
The vessel, owned by Vietnam Maritime Corp (VIMC), was carrying out anchoring operations in the late afternoon.
Colleagues threw life buoys to the men in the water.
Three were rescued, but the chief officer has not been found. The rescue men suffered injuries including two broken feet and a broken hand.
Taiwan’s coast guard sent a patrol boat and a helicopter to the scene, but strong winds hampered the initial rescue and the search resumed on Tuesday.
The port authority in Mailiao reported the injured men were taken to hospital in Kaohsiung.
The VIMC Sunrise had left anchorage in Tabeneo, Indonesia, on 10 October, bound for Kaohsiung.
The ship reached the port on 18 October and has remained moored there.
Deficiencies found in May
The bulker is one of five supramaxes owned by Hanoi-based VIMC as part of a mixed fleet of 79 vessels.
There are also smaller bulk carriers, tankers, container ships multipurpose vessels and tugs.
Norwegian protection and indemnity (P&I) club Gard began covering the VIMC Sunrise in April.
The vessel has no port state control detentions on its record.
Two deficiencies were found at the last inspection in Indonesia in May, however.
They related to emergency lighting, batteries and switches, and fire fighting equipment and appliances.
