The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) launched a small-scale drill off the Kinmen islands yesterday.
The exercise was held to simulate the responses of Chinese fishing boats trespassing in Taiwan's territorial waters which refuse to stop for inspections and questioning.
The drill took place yesterday afternoon off Kinmen's Liaolowan port, which provides direct sea links with China.
A 720-tonne patrol ship was used to demonstrate standard procedures for the interception and boarding of Chinese fishing boats.
If the coast guard spots a Chinese fishing boat in territorial waters, a Taiwanese ship will approach the boat and sound a loudspeaker warning while its crew members take combat positions. Then the coast guard will lower smaller boats, which will intercept and board the fishing boat.
These procedures have been adopted for over a year, applying mainly to larger patrol boats such as the one used in yesterday's drill.
Huang Han-sung (
"Our patrol boats here are mainly smaller. But they are equipped to drive off Chinese fishing boats entering restricted areas around the Kinmen islands," Huang said.
"Our patrol boats have to be on duty around the clock. We have been the only governmental agency responsible for sea patrol affairs since the military transferred the job to us over two years ago," he said.
The CGA played down yesterday's drill as a mere demonstration of part of its law-enforcement capabilities and denied that there were any political motivations behind the exercise.
The drill was launched as a part of a program that the CGA arranged for the press in a voyage from Taiwan to Kinmen.
The CGA sent the 720-tonne Taipei to carry journalists from Taichung to Liaolowan port.
The CGA stressed that the trip was specially arranged for the press since there is no regular sea route between Taichung and Kinmen.
The trip from Taichung to Kinmen, a distance of 222km, took a total of five hours.
The Taipei is one of the newest and largest patrol vessels that the CGA has taken delivery of since its inauguration over two years ago.
It was based on the design for the navy Chinchiang-class patrol ship. So far a total of five of the ships have joined service with the CGA. All were made by local shipbuilders.
The CGA currently has a total of 124 ships.
One of the new boats that the CGA is scheduled to receive by the end of this year is a locally-built self-righting ship.
A total of three of these ships are to be built for the CGA. They are expected to greatly strengthen the CGA's rescue capabilities.
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