Two separate incidents of civilian ships colliding with the navy’s Keelung-class destroyers an hour apart yesterday morning are under investigation, navy officials said, adding that there were no casualties.
At 7:35am yesterday, the Keelung (DDG-1801) ran into a fishing boat, the "Chin Fu En" (金福恩), that was entering Suao harbor, denting the stern of the fishing boat, the navy said.
The navy estimated that the accident might have cost the owner of the "Chin Fu En" more than NT$100,000 in losses.
Photo: Huang Hsu-lei, Taipei Times
Another warship, the "Tsoying" (DDG-1803), was berthed at the No. 10 pier of Kaohsiung’s Cijin Harbor (旗津) when the Panama-registered tanker "Everrich 3," which was making a turn, clipped its stern at about 8:30am, the navy said.
The navy said it has asked the Maritime Port Bureau’s Kaohsiung branch to investigate the cause of the accident and would demand compensation from "Everrich 3."
All naval vessels have been advised to be on heightened alert and risk awareness, it added.
Photo: Chang I-chen, Taipei Times
It was the first time that two accidents involving warships occurred on the same day and follows a series of naval incidents this year, including a missile patrol boat colliding with a fishing boat off the coast of New Taipei City’s Rueifang District (瑞芳) in March and a Ching Chiang-class patrol boat scratching the embankment at the Port of Taipei in June.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Huang Kuo-shu (黃國書) said at a legislative session that the Ministry of National Defense must report on the incident.
Minister of National Defense Feng Shih-kuan (馮世寬) said the incident at Suao was caused by fishing boats wanting to “race” naval vessels out of harbor.
Photo: Huang Hsu-lei, Taipei Times
Feng attributed it to the local custom of “racing the bow” (搶船頭), as Taiwanese fishermen believe that they would have a bountiful catch if they left the harbor before a larger ship, with military ships presenting an even greater bonus.
The ministry has negotiated with fishermen’s associations over the practice in order to reduce such accidents, he said.
However, according to Suao port authorities, the "Chin Fu En" left the port on Monday evening and was returning to the port yesterday mroning when it ran into the naval vessel.
Feng said the ministry would make a formal report on the recent incidents and propose improvement measures as Huang asked.
DRONE CENTRAL: Taiwan aims to become Asia’s democratic hub for drones, with most exports focused on high-quality military-grade models, an official said Taiwan’s drone industry is expected to expand significantly by 2030, producing 100,000 units per month and exporting half of them, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday. Current drone production capacity is about 15,000 units per month, but the industry can quickly scale up as demand increases, Industrial Development Administration Director-General Chiou Chyou-huey (邱求慧) told a news conference in Taipei. Taiwan’s drone output grew 2.5-fold last year to NT$12.9 billion (US$408.3 million) under a government program to develop the uncrewed vehicle sector, he said. The Executive Yuan in October last year approved plans to invest NT$44.2 billion into domestic production of uncrewed aerial
WARNING: China should stop engaging in actions that undermine regional peace and stability, as it would only build resentment among people across the Strait, the CGA said China has deployed more than 100 navy, coast guard and other vessels in waters from the Yellow Sea to the South China Sea and the western Pacific since US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) met in Beijing, National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said yesterday. “In this part of the world, #China is the one & only PROBLEM wrecking the #StatusQuo & threatening regional peace & stability,” Wu wrote on X. In a separate post, he said Beijing was coercing Taiwan’s maritime domain, calling it illegal and provocative, after the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) expelled a
VERBOSE VESSELS: A CGA cutter and a China Coast Guard exchanged verbal barbs for more than a day in Taiwanese-controlled waters before the Chinese vessel left The Taiwanese and Chinese coast guards had a standoff near the strategically located Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) in the north of the South China Sea, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said yesterday. The two sides engaged in intense radio exchanges over sovereignty claims during the 33-hour standoff. China Coast Guard vessel 3501 eventually left the restricted waters, 26.6 nautical miles (49.2km) west of the Pratas Islands, at 5pm yesterday, the CGA said. Lying approximately between southern Taiwan and Hong Kong, the Taiwan-controlled Pratas are seen by some security experts as vulnerable to Chinese attack due to their distance — more than
More than 8,000 people took part in a rally in Taipei yesterday to express support for more defense spending, after the opposition slashed the Cabinet’s proposed NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.6 billion) special defense budget and capped it at NT$780 billion. The demonstrators urged the Cabinet to propose another bill. Taiwan Economic Democracy Union convener Lai Chung-chiang (賴中強) said the main problem of the passed budget plan is the removal of funding for critical items, not just that the total amount is smaller. Critical budget items included purchasing or developing uncrewed vehicles, Strong Bow (強弓) missile systems, additional ammunition, artificial intelligence-powered combat systems and Taiwan-US
RSS