A pocket of marine life off the coast of Taiwan’s southeastern Green Island has recovered from damage caused by a shipwreck in 1992, a diver said Tuesday.
“It’s spectacular, ” local diving coach Yu Ming-hong said after diving in the area of the sunken ship. Yu said that coral and fish have returned to a two-hectare radius area that local people had said was lifeless since the accident.
A Greek cargo ship hit a rock and sank near Green Island on Nov. 9, 1992, leaking oil and wreaking havoc on the oceanic ecosystem in the area. When the 14,000 ton ship broke apart and sank into the sea, parts of the ship crushed coral reefs, the main habitat of marine life.
The wreckage now functions as protection, he said.
“I cannot believe a past disaster scene has become a heaven, ” Yu said, adding that he had seen more than 10 kinds of coral and various fish.
Yu said that although the wreckage provides a habitat for fish, some of the debris remains a threat to coral as it tumbles in strong currents during typhoons
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