Six new patrol cutters are to be built after the Coast Guard Administration received approval to build the 3,000-tonne displacement vessels, an official said yesterday.
The Cabinet in July approved the coast guard’s NT$12.9 billion (US$460.27 million) plan to build the ships, which are to be used in exercises with the US coast guard alongside normal duties, the official said on condition of anonymity.
The ships are to be substantially larger and more capable than the biggest cutters the coast guard currently has in service: the Hsun Hu No. 8 and the Hsun Hu No. 9, which are 1,000-tonne vessels, the official said.
The new ships are to augment the coast guard’s ability to carry out its mission and discharge its responsibilities under the Taiwan-US Memorandum of Understanding on Coast Guard Cooperation, which the two countries signed on March 25, they said.
Citing a video conference between the two nations’ coast guards on Aug. 11, the official said that the focus of the collaboration would be to facilitate joint maritime rescue and suppress illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
The overall goal of the cooperation is to enhance the joint capabilities of Taiwan and the US in responding to rising challenges at sea, they said.
The budget is separate from a NT$42.65 billion plan to procure several new coast guard patrol vessels, including four 4,000-tonne ships, five 1,000-tonne ships, 17 100-tonne cutters, 50 35-tonne-class patrol boats and 50 multipurpose coastal craft, the source said.
The 3,000-tonne program is to be implemented from next year to 2032, with bidding to begin next year, the official said, adding that the program would help sustain the defense-related ship-building sector.
ANOTHER EMERGES: The CWA yesterday said this year’s fourth storm of the typhoon season had formed in the South China Sea, but was not expected to affect Taiwan Tropical Storm Gaemi has intensified slightly as it heads toward Taiwan, where it is expected to affect the country in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 8am yesterday, the 120km-radius storm was 800km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving at 9kph northwest, the agency said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued tonight at the earliest, it said, adding that the storm is projected to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday. Gaemi’s potential effect on Taiwan remains unclear, as that would depend on its direction, radius and intensity, forecasters said. Former Weather Forecast
Taiwanese barista Xie Yi-chen (謝溢宸) recently triumphed at the 2024 World Coffee Championships, taking home 1st place in the World Latte Art category. Xie, 28, impressed the judges in the final round with patterns of a whale, a moose, and a dragon in the three-day competition that took place in Copenhagen, Denmark from June 27-29, clinching the title of latte art world champion during his first time representing Taiwan on the world stage. At a press conference held by the Taiwan Coffee Association on Thursday, Xie said that creating latte art gives him a tremendous feeling of achievement. Speaking about his entries in
TRAVEL CONVENIENCE: The program is to shorten wait times while passing through airport checks and would start for Taiwanese from January next year Japan is to launch a new program to expedite entry procedures for Taiwanese starting from January next year. The Japanese government is planning to introduce new rules to shorten the time it takes foreign travelers to pass through immigration, thereby attracting more tourists to visit, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported yesterday. An airport preclearance program would be implemented to allow foreign travelers to finish some screenings at their departure airport’s terminals and undergo simple confirmation procedures upon arrival, it said. The program would initially be applied to travelers from Taiwan from January next year and could be extended to travelers from elsewhere depending
The annual Taipei Summer Festival, which starts today, is to tone down its fireworks displays, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said on Monday. Fireworks displays are to be held at the riverside site in Datong District’s (大同) Dadaocheng (大稻埕) area on four days at this year’s festival, with the first today, and then on Wednesday next week, July 31 and Aug. 10, the department said. There were eight displays last year, with the reduction aimed at minimizing inconvenience to local residents, it said. The first three shows, which are all on Wednesdays, are to last for five minutes, while the final