A 2,000 tonne patrol ship built by the nation’s largest private shipbuilder under a consignment contract with the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) was launched from a shipyard in Kaohsiung Harbor yesterday.
The ship, christened the Tainan, is the largest patrol ship the CGA has ordered.
The ship is 98.5m long, 13.2m at its widest and has a draft of 7.6m, with a maximum speed of 24 knots and a cruising range of more than 7,500 nautical miles (13,900km), said the builder, Jong Shyn Shipbuilding Co.
PHOTO: CHANG CHUNG-I, TAIPEI TIMES
Addressing the launch ceremony, CGA Minister Wang Ginn-wang (王進旺) said the Tainan would substantially increase the CGA’s patrol capabilities and strength.
The CGA has ordered other large patrol ships and the next one, to be completed next year, will be christened Xinbei — the name to be given to Taipei County following its upgrade to a municipal city next year.
Jong Shyn Shipbuilding chairman Han Pi-hsiang (韓碧祥) said the company had received a contract from the CGA to build patrol boats for more than a decade, a deal that includes more than 20 ships with deadweights between 50 tonnes and 2,000 tonnes.
The Tainan can weather inclement conditions and accommodate 68 coast guard personnel for high-sea operations for a month, Han said.
It also has a helicopter landing platform on its main deck, he said.
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