Lung Teh Shipbuilding Co has been awarded contracts to build 11 Tuo Jiang-class corvettes and four minelayers for the navy.
The shipbuilder is to deliver the Tuo Jiang-class guided missile corvettes by 2026, or a decade ahead of schedule, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Tsai Shih-ying (蔡適應) said on Sunday.
With a displacement of less than 700 tonnes, the corvettes are to have anti-aircraft and anti-ship capabilities, but no anti-submarine capabilities, he said, adding that the navy’s original plan of having three corvette subtypes — anti-aircraft, anti-ship and anti-submarine — was scrapped to save time.
Photo: Lo Tien-pin, Taipei Times
In July, the navy contracted with the Ministry of National Defense-affiliated Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology to take charge of the procurement platform, systems integration and combat systems development for the project, the institute’s Web site said.
According to the contract’s terms, the institute had to contract with a qualified Taiwanese shipbuilder no later than Nov. 11.
The institute said that the contractor was selected for its superior technical and financial performance through a transparent process to ensure successful indigenous production of high-performance warships.
Lung Teh was also awarded a contract to build fast minelayers for the navy, a defense official said on Sunday, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The ministry later confirmed that report in an announcement.
The ministry said the shipbuilder is to deliver the minelayers by November 2021 at a cost of NT$738.31 million (US$24.01 million).
The remainder of the NT$917. 77 million budgeted for minelayers is reserved for the production of a naval mine that the institute is to develop, the navy said.
The minelayers would be a crucial asset to counter the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy, the navy said, adding that the shipbuilding projects would benefit industry in Taiwan.
Deploying mines rapidly to close sea lanes and maritime zones that a hostile force might have chosen to move through helps disrupt enemy battle plans, the navy said.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
RSS