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.
‘NON-RED’: Taiwan and Ireland should work together to foster a values-driven, democratic economic system, leveraging their complementary industries, Lai said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday expressed hopes for closer ties between Taiwan and Ireland, and that both countries could collaborate to create a values-driven, democracy-centered economic system. He made the remarks while meeting with an Irish cross-party parliamentary delegation visiting Taiwan. The delegation, led by John McGuinness, deputy speaker of the Irish house of representatives, known as the Dail, includes Irish lawmakers Malcolm Byrne, Barry Ward, Ken O’Flynn and Teresa Costello. McGuinness, who chairs the Ireland-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Association, is a friend of Taiwan, and under his leadership, the association’s influence has grown over the past few years, Lai said. Ireland is
A saleswoman, surnamed Chen (陳), earlier this month was handed an 18-month prison term for embezzling more than 2,000 pairs of shoes while working at a department store in Tainan. The Tainan District Court convicted Chen of embezzlement in a ruling on July 7, sentencing her to prison for illegally profiting NT$7.32 million (US$248,929) at the expense of her employer. Chen was also given the opportunity to reach a financial settlement, but she declined. Chen was responsible for the sales counter of Nike shoes at Tainan’s Shinkong Mitsukoshi Zhongshan branch, where she had been employed since October 2019. She had previously worked
FINAL COUNTDOWN: About 50,000 attended a pro-recall rally yesterday, while the KMT and the TPP plan to rally against the recall votes today Democracy activists, together with arts and education representatives, yesterday organized a motorcade, while thousands gathered on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei in the evening in support of tomorrow’s recall votes. Recall votes for 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and suspended Hsinchu City mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) are to be held tomorrow, while recall votes for seven other KMT lawmakers are scheduled for Aug. 23. The afternoon motorcade was led by the Spring Breeze Culture and Arts Foundation, the Tyzen Hsiao Foundation and the Friends of Lee Teng-hui Association, and was joined by delegates from the Taiwan Statebuilding Party and the Taiwan Solidarity
The Taipei District Court today ruled to extend the incommunicado detention of former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and Taipei City Councilor Angela Ying (應曉薇) for two more months as part of an ongoing corruption trial. Codefendants in the case — real-estate tycoon Sheen Ching-jing (沈慶京) and Ko's former mayoral office head Lee Wen-tsung (李文宗) — were granted bail of NT$100 million (US$3.4 million) and NT$20 million respectively. Sheen and Lee would also be barred from leaving the country for eight months and prohibited from contact with, harassing, threatening or inquiring after the case with codefendants or witnesses. The two would also be
RSS