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Navy still wants diesel submarines built here

The navy is still planning to build locally at least some of the eight diesel-powered submarines the US has promised to sell Taiwan, defense sources said yesterday.

The navy wants to have six of the eight submarines built in Taiwan by the state-run China Shipbuilding Corp (CSBC) on the basis of blueprints and technology provided by the original manufacturer of the submarines.

The plan is aimed at establishing indigenous submarine-building capabilities and reducing the delivery time for the submarines.

The navy has estimated that if all eight submarines are built overseas, it would take more than 10 years for all of them to be delivered.

By that time, the Chinese military might have already developed the capability to neutralize the threat that the submarines might pose to it, the navy fears.

A defense source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the navy thinks the best solution would be to buy two of the eight submarines and build the rest in Taiwan.

"The first two submarines would be bought ready-made," the source said. "These two would be made with older technologies. The other six would be built with newer technologies that the navy would seek to transfer from the original manufacturer of the submarines."

"The best part of the plan is that there is greater possibility for the submarines to be upgraded on demand if they are built locally," he said.

However, CSBC has yet to win the government's trust.

The state-owned company is suffering from financial problems and government leaders are not convinced it can build the vessels.

Even Minister of National Defense Tang Yao-ming (湯曜明) cast doubt on the company's capabilities at a meeting of the defense committee of the legislature in the last session.

Tang asked the committee that if the submarines were built locally, "who would take responsibility if there is anything wrong with [them]?"

The CSBC has claimed more than once that it can build the submarines, as long as it has the blueprints.

Retired CSBC engineer Chen Hsiao-ming (陳曉明) said that building submarines should not be difficult for the shipbuilder.

"The real problem is not whether the submarines can be built locally. It is really who should be assigned the task of building them," Chen said.

"Although the CSBC is the best qualified ship-builder for the tender, it is foreseeable that many less qualified [companies] would fight fiercely for some of the action," he said. "That is the real problem."
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