In light of the nation’s record-high wealth gap, the Fisheries Agency has come under fire for its plan to spend NT$760 million (US$25 million) to build three ports exclusively for the anchoring of private pleasure yachts rather than taking care of disadvantaged fishermen.
The docks — located inside the fishing docks at Pisha Harbor in Keelung County’s Badouzih (八斗子) area, Greater Tainan’s Anping Harbor and Yilan County’s Wushih Harbor — would increase docking space for yachts by 114 ships, the agency said, adding that the construction of the facilities were in accordance with President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) “I-Taiwan 12 projects.”
The project is not limited to pleasure yachts from high income people, but anyone can use the docks if they have a yacht, the agency said, adding that “it is like being able to park in a parking lot if there are empty spots.”
Photo: Lu Hsien-hsiu, Taipei Times
For those who have currently anchored their yachts at the dock in Pisha harbor — which aims for an official opening on Sept. 21 — the yachts would be charged NT$20 per tonne, the agency said, estimating that the docks would bring around NT$1.5 million to NT$2 million in revenue per year.
However, the Control Yuan in August last year expressed concern that the agency’s move to construct the yacht docks would only serve to waste public resources and build something that would be rarely used.
Citing statistics from the Ministry of Transportation and Communications’ “Plans on the promotion of yacht events,” the Control Yuan said that there were only 2,500 potential yacht owners in the country, with only 1,600 currently registered. The majority of the boats are registered in Penghu.
The boats are not used for passenger transports or leisure use, the Control Yuan said, adding that yachts registered by owners who are in Taiwan numbered only 200.
There are a total of 328 docking spaces for yachts counting the seven international economic ports, and the 20 fishing ports around the nation, the Control Yuan said, adding that docking space was still abundant.
“Most of the docking ports are either not being used or have a low rate of usage, and we suggest that the agency review the entire construction plan to avoid wasting public money,” it added.
However, Taiwan Yacht Industry Association chairperson Lu Chia-yang (呂佳揚) said that the low rate of usage for yacht ports was because their location is not ideal, which was in part because the nation had not legalized yachting at the time.
“It is becoming a trend to go yachting at sea as a leisure event, and with the passing of the Yacht Regulation Rules (遊艇管理規則) last year, people don’t even need to spend a lot of money and could start with small second-hand yachts going for NT$600,000 to NT$700,000,” Lu said.
Veteran fisherman Ho Chuan-chi (何傳吉), on the other hand, was of the opinion that with fishery hauls only amounting to a third of their former yields, building the docks would be unfair to poorer people.
Chen-Li Task Force for Agricultural Reform chief executive Du Yu (杜宇) added that the large amount of funding being laid down for only 2,500 potential users is unreasonable.
In its defense, Fisheries Agency Deputy Director-General Tsay Tzu-yaw (蔡日耀) said the fishing ports would still prioritize the use of fishing boats, adding that the docking for yachts was only a method to increase work opportunities.
“We have taken the Control Yuan’s reminder to heart and will keep it in mind as we proceed with the project,” Tsai said.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
Taiwanese and US defense groups are collaborating to introduce deployable, semi-autonomous manufacturing systems for drones and components in a boost to the nation’s supply chain resilience. Taiwan’s G-Tech Optroelectronics Corp subsidiary GTOC and the US’ Aerkomm Inc on Friday announced an agreement with fellow US-based Firestorm Lab to adopt the latter’s xCell, a technology featuring 3D printers fitted in 6.1m container units. The systems enable aerial platforms and parts to be produced in high volumes from dispersed nodes capable of rapid redeployment, to minimize the risk of enemy strikes and to meet field requirements, they said. Firestorm chief technology officer Ian Muceus said
MORE FALL: An investigation into one of Xi’s key cronies, part of a broader ‘anti-corruption’ drive, indicates that he might have a deep distrust in the military, an expert said China’s latest military purge underscores systemic risks in its shift from collective leadership to sole rule under Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), and could disrupt its chain of command and military capabilities, a national security official said yesterday. If decisionmaking within the Chinese Communist Party has become “irrational” under one-man rule, the Taiwan Strait and the regional situation must be approached with extreme caution, given unforeseen risks, they added. The anonymous official made the remarks as China’s Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia (張又俠) and Joint Staff Department Chief of Staff Liu Zhenli (劉振立) were reportedly being investigated for suspected “serious
RSS