The zero emissions ship Porrima P111 was launched yesterday in Kaohsiung, showcasing the nation’s advancement in green technology, city Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said.
The nation last year acquired the Swiss-owned vessel, formerly known as Turanor PlanetSolar, in a bid to boost Taiwan’s technology sector, as well as ecotourism in Palau, Chen said at the ship’s launch ceremony at Singda Harbor.
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr and Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) also attended the event.
Photo: Lee Hui-chou, Taipei Times
The original vessel was the first solar-powered ship to circumnavigate the globe in a voyage from 2010 to 2012.
Taiwan-based Porrima Inc (保利馬) installed upgrades with parts sourced from Taiwanese vendors and would utilize the high-tech yacht for scuba diving and pleasure cruises in waters around Palau, Chen said.
The vessel’s completion is a show of Taiwan’s technical prowess and is a milestone in the use of technology to protect the environment, he said.
Photo: Lee Hui-chou, Taipei Times
The project has breathed life into Kaohsiung’s aspirations of becoming a world leader in constructing emissions-free vessels and brought jobs to the city, Chen said.
The value of the ship construction project is in the product, and the innovation and technology that went into its creation, he said, citing the electric vehicle industry as an example.
The launch of Porrima P111 is not only the pride of Kaohsiung, but a symbol of Taiwan and Palau working together toward a goal of net zero emissions, he said.
Photo: Lee Hui-chou, Taipei Times
The Porrima P111 is a zero carbon vessel powered by solar, wind and hydrogen-based energy, said Acer Inc (宏碁) founder Stan Shih (施振榮), who is also Porrima’s cofounder and an economic adviser to Palau.
The high-tech yacht would sail in the waters around Taiwan as part of its certification and testing process before making a voyage to Japan in October, he said.
Porrima is to take part in the government’s Diplomatic Allies Prosperity Project, he said, referring to a government initiative to facilitate economic development in nations that maintain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, including Palau.
The company would be involved in employing the ships for high-end tourism in Palau, Shih said.
Taiwan is projected to lose a working-age population of about 6.67 million people in two waves of retirement in the coming years, as the nation confronts accelerating demographic decline and a shortage of younger workers to take their place, the Ministry of the Interior said. Taiwan experienced its largest baby boom between 1958 and 1966, when the population grew by 3.78 million, followed by a second surge of 2.89 million between 1976 and 1982, ministry data showed. In 2023, the first of those baby boom generations — those born in the late 1950s and early 1960s — began to enter retirement, triggering
One of two tropical depressions that formed off Taiwan yesterday morning could turn into a moderate typhoon by the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Tropical Depression No. 21 formed at 8am about 1,850km off the southeast coast, CWA forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said. The weather system is expected to move northwest as it builds momentum, possibly intensifying this weekend into a typhoon, which would be called Mitag, Lee said. The radius of the storm is expected to reach almost 200km, she said. It is forecast to approach the southeast of Taiwan on Monday next week and pass through the Bashi Channel
NO CHANGE: The TRA makes clear that the US does not consider the status of Taiwan to have been determined by WWII-era documents, a former AIT deputy director said The American Institute in Taiwan’s (AIT) comments that World War-II era documents do not determine Taiwan’s political status accurately conveyed the US’ stance, the US Department of State said. An AIT spokesperson on Saturday said that a Chinese official mischaracterized World War II-era documents as stating that Taiwan was ceded to the China. The remarks from the US’ de facto embassy in Taiwan drew criticism from the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation, whose director said the comments put Taiwan in danger. The Chinese-language United Daily News yesterday reported that a US State Department spokesperson confirmed the AIT’s position. They added that the US would continue to
The number of Chinese spouses applying for dependent residency as well as long-term residency in Taiwan has decreased, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday, adding that the reduction of Chinese spouses staying or living in Taiwan is only one facet reflecting the general decrease in the number of people willing to get married in Taiwan. The number of Chinese spouses applying for dependent residency last year was 7,123, down by 2,931, or 29.15 percent, from the previous year. The same census showed that the number of Chinese spouses applying for long-term residency and receiving approval last year stood at 2,973, down 1,520,
RSS