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.
CALL FOR SUPPORT: President William Lai called on lawmakers across party lines to ensure the livelihood of Taiwanese and that national security is protected President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday called for bipartisan support for Taiwan’s investment in self-defense capabilities at the christening and launch of two coast guard vessels at CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard in Kaohsiung. The Taipei (台北) is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels, and the Siraya (西拉雅) is the Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) first-ever ocean patrol vessel, the government said. The Taipei is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels with a displacement of about 4,000 tonnes, Lai said. This ship class was ordered as a result of former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) 2018
‘SECRETS’: While saying China would not attack during his presidency, Donald Trump declined to say how Washington would respond if Beijing were to take military action US President Donald Trump said that China would not take military action against Taiwan while he is president, as the Chinese leaders “know the consequences.” Trump made the statement during an interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes program that aired on Sunday, a few days after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in South Korea. “He [Xi] has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, ‘we would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences,” Trump said in the interview. However, he repeatedly declined to say exactly how Washington would respond in
WARFARE: All sectors of society should recognize, unite, and collectively resist and condemn Beijing’s cross-border suppression, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng said The number of Taiwanese detained because of legal affairs by Chinese authorities has tripled this year, as Beijing intensified its intimidation and division of Taiwanese by combining lawfare and cognitive warfare, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) made the statement in response to questions by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Puma Shen (沈柏洋) about the government’s response to counter Chinese public opinion warfare, lawfare and psychological warfare. Shen said he is also being investigated by China for promoting “Taiwanese independence.” He was referring to a report published on Tuesday last week by China’s state-run Xinhua news agency,
‘ADDITIONAL CONDITION’: Taiwan will work with like-minded countries to protect its right to participate in next year’s meeting, the foreign ministry said The US will “continue to press China for security arrangements and protocols that safeguard all participants when attending APEC meetings in China,” a US Department of State spokesperson said yesterday, after Beijing suggested that members must adhere to its “one China principle” to participate. “The United States insists on the full and equal participation of all APEC member economies — including Taiwan — consistent with APEC’s guidelines, rules and established practice, as affirmed by China in its offer to host in 2026,” the unnamed spokesperson said in response to media queries about China putting a “one China” principle condition on Taiwan’s
RSS