The Ministry of Transportation and Communications is considering amendments to require vessels of all sizes to install automatic identification systems (AIS) in a bid to track ships near Taiwan’s shores as well as prevent Chinese incursions.
Under the Regulations for Small Ships Inspection and Measuring (小船檢查丈量規則) and the Regulations Governing the Management of Yachts (遊艇管理規則), small ships that are not used to ferry passengers are not required to install an AIS.
However, under the proposed amendment, all ships, except those on lakes, rivers and other inland waterways, would be required to install an AIS, ministry sources said this week.
Photo: Tsai Yun-jung, Taipei Times
The amendments are primarily a response to an incident in June last year, when a Chinese man was arrested after navigating a boat into a harbor near the mouth of the Tamsui River (淡水河), they said.
The changes would also help the government combat smuggling and improve operational safety for port and harbor staff, and Coast Guard Administration personnel, they said.
Under the regulations, small ships are defined as motor-powered vessels under 20 tonnes, or non-motor-powered ships under 50 tonnes, and are further separated into passenger-carrying ships, and non-passenger-carrying ships.
Yachts relying primarily on wind for propulsion with auxiliary engines are not required to install an AIS, but can instead put in radar deflectors under current regulations, but once the amendments are passed, the vessels must install an AIS, the ministry said.
Putting an AIS on small boats and yachts would help the Maritime and Port Bureau track all ships in coastal areas near Taiwan, it said.
The nation has 1,543 yachts and 13,146 small ships, with about 13,690 ships expected to install AIS should the amendments pass, the ministry said.
Ships that fail to comply with the new regulations could face fines of NT$3,000 to NT$30,000 under the Shipping Act (船舶法), it said.
A Class B AIS costs about NT$20,000, Maritime and Port Bureau Deputy Director-General Liu Chih-hung (劉志鴻) said.
The bureau is working with the Fisheries Agency to draft subsidies that would alleviate the financial burden for ship owners to install the systems, he said.
Under proposed plans, the bureau would subsidize the refitting of 4,609 ships that are not used in the fishing industry, while the Ministry of Agriculture would subsidize 9,081 ships, he said.
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