President Tsai Ing-wen presided over the delivery ceremony for Coast Guard Administration patrol vessel Chiayi April 29 in the southern port city of Kaohsiung, reaffirming the government’s commitment to safeguarding Taiwan’s territorial waters.
The development of state-of-the-art vessels aimed at strengthening Taiwan’s indigenous defense capabilities and ensuring the safety of the country’s law enforcement officials is a top policy priority, the president said.
The endeavor could not be successful without private sector cooperation, Tsai said. Efforts by those contributing to Taiwan’s shipbuilding projects are sincerely appreciated by the government and people, she added.
According to the president, the ceremony follows in the footsteps of the launch of ROC (Taiwan) navy landing platform dock Yushan earlier this month in Kaohsiung.
Tsai said the event is especially significant in light of the memorandum of understanding concluded by Taiwan and the U.S. to establish a coast guard working group last month. She expects the 4,000-ton vessel to play a key role in promoting bilateral collaboration spanning law enforcement and rescue missions.
During the ceremony, another 4,000-ton patrol vessel was christened Hsinchu after the northern Taiwan county, according to the Presidential Office.
Designed and manufactured by CSBC Corp., Taiwan, Chiayi is the largest in the CGA fleet and equipped with advanced medical facilities including an operating room and negative pressure isolation ward.
The ship is capable of landing the navy’s S-70C helicopter and can be converted into a military vessel if necessary. It can also be used to transport medical supplies to nearby countries and carry out other humanitarian missions, according to the Cabinet-level Ocean Affairs Council. (SFC-E)
Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw