Taiwan is rich in marine resources. As a port operator, TIPC attaches great importance to the conservation of marine ecology and land environment, and is committed to promoting green port development in line with the international shipping trends and government policies. Regarding port construction, the company always adheres to proper assessment and endeavors to minimize environmental impacts of development and operation. We also continue to keep abreast of the related ecological and habitat conditions to prevent negative impacts on ecosystem and promote healthy development of the marine ecosystem.
| Areas located in, adjacent to, or encompassing protected areas | Name | Actions related to ecological conservation. | Protecting species on the IUCN Red List | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Port of Taichung | Yes | Important habitats for the Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin in the wild | Conducting environmental impact assessment and development permit applications, commissioning professionals to assist in conducting ecological and environmental surveys of the Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin population in the waters of Port of Taichung, and developing conservation plans. Additionally, coordinating with the expansion project's environmental impact assessment to formulate relevant conservation measures for the dolphin. | Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin (Critically Endangered) |
| Port of Kaohsiung | No | South Star Wild Bird Reserve | The South Star Land Project Area preserves the windbreak forests and surrounding green spaces that serve as important stopover sites for migratory birds. The area is landscaped using native species, and measures such as setting up green buffer zones and restricting vehicle speeds are implemented to protect the area and its wildlife. | No |
| Port of Taipei | No | Port of Taipei North Breakwater Wetland (located near Port of Taipei). | The wetland covers an area of 357 hectares and is classified as a coastal natural wetland and a designated coastal protection area under legal status. | No |
| Port of Suao | No | Port of Suao Tofu Cape Coral Conservation Area | The Tofu Cape in Port of Suao has been designated by the Yilan County Government as a non-motorized sailboat recreation area. The coral area in that area is approximately 1 hectare and is located in the waters surrounding the Port of Suao Signal Tower. It is strictly prohibited to engage in coral mining and activities that could cause damage to the coral. | No |
Environmental and Ecological Monitoring
Water is mainly supplied to offices and open areas for use by employees and general public, and part of the surface runoff or secondary water is used for planting and watering, road washing, and dust suppression in the port area. Domestic sewage and industrial effluent are properly treated to meet the standards of runoff discharge before being released into the receiving water body. In order to minimize the potential impact of commercial port operations on the ecosystem, TIPC has commissioned water quality monitoring and established Environmental Quality Monitoring Report Review Committee, inviting experts and scholars to assist in reviewing the current water quality of every port and consolidating environmental monitoring, as well as promoting vessel speed reduction to carriers through Vessel Speed Reduction Surveillance System (VSRSS). In conjunction with Automatic Identification System (AIS), vessels traveling within 20 nautical miles of the port area are required to slow down to minimize noise and collisions.
Since the 23-square-kilometer area from the northern breakwater to the southern reclamation area of Taichung Port overlaps with the "Type and Scope of Major Wildlife Habitat of Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphins" announced by Ocean Affairs Council on September 1, 2020, Taichung Port Outer Harbor Expansion Project (Phase 1) has already conducted an "environmental impact assessment" in accordance with Act on Wildlife Conservation, followed by "development and utilization application" to formulate specific protection measures. Kaohsiung Port Southern Star Free Trade Zone is one of the most important transit habitats for migratory birds, and ecological surveys of the wild bird reserve are conducted annually.
| Water Consumption | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| Water intake (million liter) | 1.303.980 | 1.277.800 | 1.232.800 |
| Water displacement (million liter) | 1.043.184 | 1.022.240 | 986.24 |
| Water consumption (million liter) | 260.796 | 255.560 | 246.56 |
| Revenue (million NTD) | 2.253.217 | 2.372.335 | 2.377.073 |
| Water intensity | 0.58 | 0.54 | 0.52 |
Note:
- The data for tap water consumption is sourced from the headquarter and branch offices, based on the total annual water fee settlement data, converted at a rate of NT$ 11 per unit.
- Water intake does not include surface runoff water used for flushing or irrigation, as well as the use of recycled water.
- Water intensity = Water consumption / Organizational metric = Million liters / Revenue (in NT$ million).
| Water-saving measures (Use of recycled water) | |
|---|---|
| Suao Port | Suao Port has set up Suao mountain spring water pumping facility next to Yishan Road and introduced spring water for watering, sprinkling and handling dust control in the port. The amount of spring water used by Suao Port was 217,117 metric tons. |
| Taipei Port | As for the water resource recycling center in the South Pier area of Taipei Port, the Engineering Department is currently applying for the discharge permit, and has already conducted trial operation test of the water resource center, which will be formally put into operation once it has been approved by Department of Environmental Protection, New Taipei City Government. |
| Taichung Port | Taichung Branch plans to develop a Smart Energy Management System and smart integrated management platform to build integrated smart water meters and other systems to achieve the goal of intelligent energy management in the port area. The branch utilizes the cooling discharge water from Dragon Steel Corporation and installs pressurized water supply facilities to provide port operators and construction units with water for sprinkler use on roads, cargo loading and unloading and suppression of dust from construction projects, so as to realize the goal of sustainable utilization of water resources. The amount of water withdrawn in 2023 was approximately 76,120 tons. |
| Kaohsiung Port | Wastewater from Kaohsiung Port enters the wastewater treatment facility and is discharged into the receiving water body through primary sedimentation, coagulation, aeration, filtration, activated carbon adsorption, disinfection, etc. after meeting the discharge standards. In 2023, the wastewater influent treatment capacity was 3,375.1 metric tons in total, of which 1,923.8 metric tons are discharged and 1,391.4 metric tons of reclaimed water are recycled for watering use to achieve the purpose of water conservation. |
| Anping Port | The Water Recycling Center of Tainan City Government has a reclaimed water intake pipeline in Anping Port, which can be used by port operators to clean the quay floor or sprinkle water during cargo handling operations to avoid dust emission, with a capacity of 11,147 metric tons. |
| Hualien Port | Surface water is used for dust suppression in the loading and unloading areas, sand and gravel stockpiling, and contamination control to improve the port environmental quality. In addition, in conjunction with the Smart Grid Project, the water resource allocation system is strengthened to make flexible use of surface water, and increase the overall tap water conservation rate, with a total of 121,152 metric tons of surface water being used (collected) in 2023. |
Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin Survey and Conservation
TIPC has been conducting ecological surveys of the humpback dolphin population for a long time. According to the Ocean Conservation Administration, the number of humpback dolphins recorded in the individual database was 67 in 2021, 69 in 2022, and 70 in 2023.
In view of the narrow distribution of the dolphin's habitat across different ecological and coastal areas, and the high degree of overlapping between industrial development and residential areas in the western part of Taiwan, many government agencies are involved. It is necessary to base on sufficient scientific data in order to focus on cross-domain communication and implement various conservation measures, thereby realizing a win-win situation that takes into account conservation of the species as well as economic development.
n order to minimize the impact of expansion plan on ecosystem, TIPC has commissioned a consultant to conduct "Ecological Survey and Conservation Plan for the Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin Population in Taichung Port Waters" for the term of 2018-2023. Through seeking the assistance of external experts in observation and data compilation, TIPC has been proactive in collecting opinions and developing specific conservation measures.
Outline Embankment Planning
The embankment adopts an ecological seawall design, with a rough, grooved or terraced surface, and ecological blocks on the side of the embankment to encourage attachment of living creatures, as well as shortens the openings of north and south breakwaters and installs a short bulge to minimize the possibility of inadvertent entry into the harbor.
Construction Period
Carefully selecting appropriate piling equipment and environmental-friendly methods, and installing commercialized measures such as pollution prevention facilities and balloon curtains in the piling area, so as to minimize seabed disturbance and underwater sound pollution.
Surveillance Notification
The Port of Taichung has established a notification system for sighting of cetaceans, whereby the control center receives notifications from public and vessels, and the navigation control center identifies nearby vessels through AIS and notifies them via VHF radio to stay out of the way.(AIS系統)識別附近船隻，以特高頻無線電(VHF)通知過往船隻注意避讓
Ecological Survey
In conjunction with the marine survey, underwater acoustic monitoring is further strengthened with addition of towed hydrophone arrays and evaluation of the use of unmanned aerial camera to track the movement of dolphins without disturbing them.
Enrich food supply
TIPC analyzed the feasibility of releasing fry at suitable locations outside the planned area of Taichung Port to increase the food source for humpback dolphins.
Subject to the EIA approval, funds will be allocated to consolidate the conservation efforts to avoid disruption of the humpback dolphin's natural habitat during constructions and operations, in order to foster coexistence between Taichung Port and humpback dolphins. The research data obtained will also be made available to marine conservation academia and relevant management units for their references.
White Dolphin
White Dolphin
Southern Star Wild Bird Habitat Protection Zone
"The Southern Star Free Trade Zone" is one of the most important migratory bird habitats in Kaohsiung. Therefore, upon promotion of the first phase of Southern Star land development project, TIPC moved the management center southwards, set up a 20-meter green belt and limit the speed of vehicles, as well as retained 10 hectares of wild bird habitat to mitigate the impact of development on wild bird habitats.
Four wild bird ecological surveys were conducted in 2023, which recorded mostly common resident birds and some common migratory and introduced species, as well as three precious and rare conservation species (Grade PII) namely crested serpent eagle, crested Honey Buzzard, Crested Goshawk, Black-Winged Kite, and one other conservation-worthy species (Grade PIII), the Brown Shrike.
Ecological Projects
Since most of the port and seawall projects involve changes in coastline and landforms, the design does not only take into account the needs of industrial use, but also plan ecological compensation programs according to different local conditions in order to increase the biodiversity. With reference to the "Operating Manual for Implementation of Directions for Port and Harbor Project Ecological Inspection", each branch should commission professional units (organizations) or experts and scholars to check on whether there is any issue related to ecological environment conservation and to conduct self-assessment in the developed sites or original structures within the area. The process is shown in the following diagram.
In 2023, TIPC organized the "Ecological Audit Training for International (Domestic) Commercial Port Projects", inviting professional lecturers to conduct a 6-hour course for the project organizers (including OSH related personnel) of the headquarter and branches, with a total of about 30 participants.
Ecological Audit Training for International (Domestic) Commercial Port Projects (1)
Ecological Audit Training for International (Domestic) Commercial Port Projects (2)
Ecological Audit Training for International (Domestic) Commercial Port Projects (3)
As for land, the green belt area of port cluster covered 773 hectares by 2023, and 200,000 trees have been planted (new and replacement) from 2022 to 2023. Tree pruning and weeding are regularly carried out to maintain a green port environment. In order to prevent the development of Anping Port from destroying the existing mangrove forests, under the concepts of environmental protection, ecological conservation and sustainable management, TIPC has planned a mangrove reserve since 1988 and carried out an ecological transplantation and restoration program, with an area of 4.6 hectares, which is under continuous maintenance.
According to the mangrove operation and management plan in the EIA report, the survival rate of mangrove transplants is low and it consumes high costs. Experts and scholars have suggested TIPC to use viviparous seedlings or small seedlings at appropriate locations in the port to cope with oil pollution and algae cover, and to use PVC pipes to overcome the problem of planting mangrove trees in deep-water areas. While in terms of planning windbreak forests, Taichung branch collaborated with Tse-Xin Organic Agriculture Foundation in a reforestation program from 2020 to 2024, planting a total of 35,000 trees in the protection forest of Taichung Port, covering an area of approximately 20.7 hectares, including Horsetail Tree, Sea Hibiscus, Chinese Tamarisk, and Scaevola taccada.
Establishment of Ecological Tidal Pools
The Port of Keelung has been implementing land reclamation projects in the first phase of the 48-hectare Port of Taipei Logistics and Warehousing Zone. Along the outer dike of the area, a 200-meter-wide green belt has been established, with a 150-meter-wide windbreak forest covering an area of approximately 19 hectares. In the subsequent phases of the land reclamation project, a similar 200-meter-wide green belt will be set up along the outer dike. In addition to the 150-meter-wide windbreak forest, ecological tidal pools will be introduced (expected to be completed by 2025) and formed naturally within the windbreak forest area without any artificial stocking to enhance ecological diversity.
The ecological tidal pools in the Port of Taipei Logistics and Warehousing Zone will form naturally within the windbreak forest area without any artificial stocking. Four outlets will be created in the surrounding dike caissons to facilitate seawater exchange. The design of the tidal pools takes into account the average daily tidal difference of approximately 2 meters in the Taipei Port area. During high tide, organisms will stay or forage in the tidal pools, and during low tide, they will remain within the pools, creating a diverse ecological effect and utilizing the seawater conditions to create a habitat for marine species. The relationship between the marine environment and the structures will be utilized to create a suitable living environment for marine organisms, thereby attracting marine species to the ecological tidal pools and reducing the ecological impact caused by land reclamation.
SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM OF ECOLOGICAL TIDAL POOL PROFILE