Vice President Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) yesterday inaugurated two new research vessels at CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (CSBC, 台灣國際造船) Keelung Yard, saying that oceanography in the nation is entering a new era, with the government devoting more resources to the field.
Commissioned by the Ministry of Science and Technology, CSBC in January last year began building the R/V New Ocean Researcher 2 and R/V New Ocean Researcher 3 at a budget of NT$470 million (US$15.4 million) each.
The two 811-tonne vessels are to replace R/V Ocean Researcher II and R/V Ocean Researcher III, managed by National Taiwan Ocean University (NTOU) and National Sun Yat-sen University (NSYSU) respectively.
Photo: CNA
Oceanography in the nation is entering a new era with the inauguration of the new vessels, while the legislature earlier this month also passed the Ocean Basic Act (海洋基本法), aiming to bring people closer to the marine environment, Chen said.
Ocean research in Taiwan can be traced back about half a century when the nation took over a decommissioned US naval ship and renamed it the Chiu Lien (九連號), NSYSU vice president Chen Yang-yih (陳陽益) said, adding that Taiwan became increasingly competent over the years and developed its own facilities.
The new vessels were planned more than a decade ago, as the old ones have been in operation for more than 25 years and existing facilities are unable to satisfy research requirements, NTOU president Chang Ching-fong (張清風) said.
Taiwan should make better use of its edge in marine exploration and cultivate related talent, Chang said, expressing the hope that the government will devote more resources to supporting domestic oceanography.
The two new vessels are equipped with imported state-of-the-art instruments, including a multibeam echo sounder that can produce high-resolution images to map the sea floor; an acoustic Doppler current profiler that can measure current velocity; and a dynamic positioning system that can more precisely maintain a vessel’s position during a sampling mission at sea.
A third new research vessel — the 2,155-tonne R/V New Ocean Researcher 1 — is expected to be completed before the end of this year, Minister of Science and Technology Chen Liang-gee (陳良基) said.
Along with the 2,629-tonne R/V Legend (勵進) — which was launched last year and is operated by the National Applied Research Laboratories’ Taiwan Ocean Research Institute — the research vessels would allow oceanographers to plan more diverse expeditions further afield, he said.
Scientists are encouraged to engage in offshore wind farm engineering and underwater archeology, in addition to the existing disciplines of physical and chemical oceanography, as well as marine biology and geology, he added.
LONG FLIGHT: The jets would be flown by US pilots, with Taiwanese copilots in the two-seat F-16D variant to help familiarize them with the aircraft, the source said The US is expected to fly 10 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70/72 jets to Taiwan over the coming months to fulfill a long-awaited order of 66 aircraft, a defense official said yesterday. Word that the first batch of the jets would be delivered soon was welcome news to Taiwan, which has become concerned about delays in the delivery of US arms amid rising military tensions with China. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the initial tranche of the nation’s F-16s are rolling off assembly lines in the US and would be flown under their own power to Taiwan by way
‘OF COURSE A COUNTRY’: The president outlined that Taiwan has all the necessary features of a nation, including citizens, land, government and sovereignty President William Lai (賴清德) discussed the meaning of “nation” during a speech in New Taipei City last night, emphasizing that Taiwan is a country as he condemned China’s misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758. The speech was the first in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. It is the responsibility of Taiwanese citizens to stand united to defend their national sovereignty, democracy, liberty, way of life and the future of the next generation, Lai said. This is the most important legacy the people of this era could pass on to future generations, he said. Lai went on to discuss
MISSION: The Indo-Pacific region is ‘the priority theater,’ where the task of deterrence extends across the entire region, including Taiwan, the US Pacific Fleet commander said The US Navy’s “mission of deterrence” in the Indo-Pacific theater applies to Taiwan, Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Stephen Koehler told the South China Sea Conference on Tuesday. The conference, organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), is an international platform for senior officials and experts from countries with security interests in the region. “The Pacific Fleet’s mission is to deter aggression across the Western Pacific, together with our allies and partners, and to prevail in combat if necessary, Koehler said in the event’s keynote speech. “That mission of deterrence applies regionwide — including the South China Sea and Taiwan,” he
UNPRECEDENTED: In addition to the approved recall motions, cases such as Ma Wen-chun’s in Nantou are still under review, while others lack enough signatures The Central Election Commission (CEC) announced yesterday that a recall vote would take place on July 26, after it approved the first batch of recall motions targeting 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao (高虹安). Taiwan is in the midst of an unprecedented wave of mass recall campaigns, following a civil society push that echoed a call made by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) in January to initiate signature drives aimed at unseating KMT legislators. Under the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法), Taiwanese can initiate a recall of district-elected lawmakers by collecting