Bidding to supply the frame of the navy’s new amphibious assault ship, priced at NT$3.6 billion (US$117.6 million), is to take place tomorrow, military sources said.
The first bidding in April failed to attract offers due to the low overall budget, sources said.
Despite minor revisions, the amount of allotted funding has not changed, the Ministry of National Defense said.
The project, codenamed Hong Yun, is to receive NT$6.2 billion in funding starting in 2021, of which NT$3.6 billion is allotted for the frame while the remaining funds are to be used for weapon and technical support systems, sources said.
The main difficulty would be whether shipbuilders are able to manufacture a frame for a combat-capable vessel at that price, the sources said.
All eligible bidders must show documented proof of past contracts for building sections of a ship weighing more than 1,000 tonnes, the ministry said, adding that at least three eligible bidders must be present for the bidding to start.
Whether the President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) administration’s indigenous shipbuilding project would be on schedule depends on the outcome of the bidding, the sources said.
However, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Tsai Shih-ying (蔡適應) cautioned the ministry against setting the bar too low.
The project must have balanced funding, and an insufficient allocation — which would cause contractors to give bids that are too low — should be avoided, Tsai Shih-ying said.
Allowing shipbuilders to have reasonable profit margins would help the nation maintain a healthy defense industry, he said.
The project seeks to update the navy’s amphibious landing vessels, which have all been in service for more than four decades and require increasing maintenance costs, the ministry said.
The vessel would ideally displace about 10,000 tonnes and would be armed with ship-borne surface-to-air missiles, 76mm auto cannon turrets and the Phalanx close-in weapons system. Its primary duty would be to ferry amphibious craft for landing, such as the AAV-7.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Kaohsiung at 1pm today, the Central Weather Administration said. The epicenter was in Jiasian District (甲仙), 72.1km north-northeast of Kaohsiung City Hall, at a depth of 7.8km, agency data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in Kaohsiung and Tainan, where it measured a 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale. It also measured a 3 in parts of Chiayi City, as well as Pingtung, Yunlin and Hualien counties, data showed.
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
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