The OceanLaLa, a high-speed ferry that connects the outlying Penghu island with Taiwan proper, will suspend services indefinitely after being damaged by strong wind and heavy waves Sunday off the coast of Taichung in central Taiwan, the Taichung Harbor Bureau announced Monday. The ferry departed from the Penghu capital of Makong Sunday for Taichung Harbor carrying 311 passengers, but encountered strong winds and high waves that began crashing onboard when the boat was about 8 nautical miles from port, according to the bureau. Escorted by patrol ships and rescue helicopters, the OceanLaLa was steered into port safely at around 11 p.m. that day -- about 3.5 hours behind schedule. The bureau then commissioned experts from the Taipei-based China Corporation Register of Shipping and marine investigators to look into the causes of the accident and announced the suspension of the ferry services. According to an initial inspection, the bureau judged that the accident was probably caused by insufficient deceleration of the ferry amid powerful wind and waves. Noting that the OceanLaLa is only six years old, the bureau said the accident could not be attributed to the ship's physical condition. It was not the first accident sustained by the OceanLaLa. Earlier this year, its services were suspended because equipment inside the vessel was damaged by a storm. Meanwhile, the ferry's owner, Excalibur International Marine Corp., said it plans to buy new vessels to replace the OceanLaLa. The company was scheduled to hold a shareholders' meeting the following day, followed by a meeting of the board of directors, during which Liu Wen-hsiung is expected to be elected as its chairman, according to company sources. Liu said the company plans to purchase new vessels and will target passengers traveling between Taiwan and China. In addition to the Taichung-Penghu route, the OceanLaLa also made charter trips between Taichung and China's southeastern coastal city of Xiamen and eastern Zhejiang Province's Taizhou City. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications' Department of Aviation and Navigation said Monday that the high- speed OceanLaLa catamaran, made of aluminum alloy, has the advantage of being lightweight and speedy but is unsuitable for the high seas. It also noted that the OceanLaLa is a second-hand vessel that was formerly used to ply the route between Spain and Morocco. 