President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday reaffirmed the nation’s commitment to funding indigenous shipbuilding and aircraft programs to lay the foundations for developing local defense industries, adding that they are key to strengthening the nation’s self-defense capabilities.
Lai made the remarks while presiding over a keel-laying ceremony in Kaohsiung for the first of six domestically built cruisers.
The cruisers were ordered by the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) under former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) 2021 initiative to combat illegal fishing, and cost a total of NT$12.9 billion (US$390 million).
Photo: CNA
The plan aims to build six long-range vessels capable of patrolling international waters, extending Taiwan’s maritime reach and reinforcing the government’s commitment to safeguarding the nation’s territorial waters, Lai said.
The ship under construction would be equipped with a diesel-electric propulsion system powerful enough to circle Taiwan up to 30 times per deployment, he said, adding that the extended range would enable the vessels to operate further afield.
The ship’s rear deck can store supplies, a coastal multipurpose boat, an attack boat, or a drone, depending on the ship’s mission, he said.
The vessel would bolster the coast guard’s maritime patrol capabilities, while also serving as a supply ship for outlying islands, or as a marine rescue ship, Lai said.
The nation’s coast guard personnel are hard at work defending our maritime borders against the Chinese Communist Party’s incessant harassment via “gray zone” tactics, Lai said, urging coast guard personnel to keep themselves safe when on duty.
Lai called on the Ocean Affairs Council, the CGA and CSBC Taiwan (台灣國際造船) — the company building the vessels — to work hard to stay on schedule, while urging legislators across party lines to support relevant budgets to help safeguard Taiwan’s democratic way of life.
CSBC Taiwan chairman Huang Cheng-hung (黃正弘) said construction of the first vessel began last year and it is expected to be launched by October, after which it would undergo sea trials and testing, with delivery to the CGA scheduled for Aug. 11 next year.
The ship, measuring 100m in length, 16.5m at its widest point and 8m in depth, is expected to displace more than 3,000 tonnes without equipment and up to 8,000 tonnes when fully outfitted, Huang said
It would be armed with water cannons and high-pressure water guns, and feature the XTR-102 20mm remote weapon system developed by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology, he added.
Designed for versatility, the ship would be capable of towing the CGA’s 4,000-tonne Chiayi-class patrol vessels and carrying modular cargo crates, broadening its potential operational roles, Huang said.
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