After Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te took office three days ago, the People’s Liberation Army of China began a two-day military exercise around Taiwan on May 23. During this period, the Chinese tugboat “Union Qirui” sank in the East China Sea, and the Chinese Communist Party did not disclose the reason for the sinking.
According to information released by the Zhejiang Maritime Bureau on May 24, the “Union Qirui” sank in the East China Sea near the coordinates at approximately 30 degrees 44.65 minutes north latitude and 122 degrees 31.59 minutes east longitude. A notice was issued to warn ships to avoid the area.
The sinking location of “Union Qirui” is near the northeast sea area of Zhoushan, Zhejiang.
Public records show that “Union Qirui” is 82.1 meters long, 20 meters wide, and is a towboat weighing over 4000 tons responsible for tasks such as towing and salvage operations. It belongs to Fujian United Ocean Engineering Co., Ltd.
According to the Ship and Maritime website, satellite AIS tracking data provided information about the previous destination of “Union Qirui” as Zhoushan. Prior to the incident, the ship had been heading south at a speed of around 13 knots. However, around 0702 on May 24, the ship suddenly changed course and slowed down.
Subsequently, the ship completely lost its AIS signal around 0854 that day.
Military-related social media outlet “Airborne World” pointed out that “Union Qirui” has a total tonnage of 4463 tons, a length of 85 meters, and a power of 23,500 horsepower. It has completed engineering tasks in multiple sea areas.
The sinking of “Union Qirui” has sparked attention as it occurred during the period of the military exercise around Taiwan from May 23-24. Although the sinking location of “Union Qirui” was not within the exercise range, it still generated discussions among netizens.
Financial blogger “Chaozhou Hero” expressed in a blog post, “So much commotion over the sinking of ‘Union Qirui’… this is a significant event, yet the news barely mentions any maritime rescue or salvage operations, passing it off in a single sentence, which is quite strange. Is there some hidden truth behind this?”
“Optimistic Sunshine in My Heart” said, “Controversy leads to war! War leads to casualties! May the world be free from conflicts and wars! Let there be peace for humanity!”
Many netizens speculate that this incident is related to the situation in the Taiwan Strait. Comments such as “Is this the beginning of something big? Leading the way for maritime law enforcement?” and “Seems like a big deal” were shared. Discussions ranged from theories about a failed fishing operation to humorous remarks about the potential involvement of ballistic missiles.