Military officials downplayed damage done to a naval frigate when it ran aground while sailing out of Zuoying Port (左營港) in Kaohsiung, scuttling its mission to the Spratly Islands (Nansha Islands, 南沙群島) in the South China Sea.
The incident occurred last week, but details only emerged after Minister of National Defense Kao Kuang-chi (高廣圻) was questioned in the legislature over the past two days.
According to military officials, the Tzu I struck a concrete breakwater to the south of the Zuoying naval base section on the evening of Tuesday last week.
Photo courtesy of the Coast Guard Administration
The 4,100-tonne Tzu I with the Magong Port-based (馬公) 146th Fleet is the fifth of eight Taiwan-built Cheng Kung-class frigates based on the Oliver Hazard Perry-class of US frigates.
It was headed to the South China Sea alongside the 2,105-tonne Tainan Coast Guard Administration patrol vessel, which is to deliver supplies to outposts in the Spratlys, including Itu Aba Island (Taiping Island, 太平島).
The supply mission, known as the “Bi Hai,” or “Blue Sea” program, was delayed for five days as supplies were transferred to another navy frigate, Kao said yesterday.
The Tzu I underwent repairs, Kao added.
Kao said the incident stemmed from an inexperienced crew member in the navigation room who mistook instructions from the captain, adding that there was only “minor damage” to a protective plate for the sonar dome on the bow section.
The navy is carrying out an investigation to determine the circumstances of the accident and its cause, and will mete out appropriate punishments, Kao said.
He said the mission’s schedule was only delayed for a few days and operations at the outposts were not affected.
However, a report by the Chinese-language United Daily News said the vessel had sustained significant damage.
Quoting a retired navy captain, the report said the ship’s sonar dome was rendered inoperable, requiring repairs that could cost several million New Taiwan dollars.
If the inner workings of the sonar units was damaged, the costs could be 10 times that amount, said the retired captain, who declined to be named.
The incident indicated major flaws in the ship’s operation, as navigating a port requires experienced helmsmen in charge, while a newly inducted seaman would never be in charge of steering controls, the retired captain said.
There have been other recent activities by the navy to patrol the nation’s maritime territories in the South China Sea.
Deputy General Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Wang Hsin-wei (王興尉) led a mission aboard a patrol ship to visit the nation’s troops on the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) on Tuesday last week.
Wang was accompanied by Coast Guard Administration Deputy Director Cheng Chang-hsiung (鄭樟雄) and other officials, as the Dongsha Command Post is staffed by the coast guard, which also patrols the surrounding waters, asserting the nation’s sovereignty in the Pratas region.
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