Military officials downplayed damage done to a naval frigate when it ran aground while sailing out of Zuoying Port (左營港) in Kaohsiung, scuttling its mission to the Spratly Islands (Nansha Islands, 南沙群島) in the South China Sea.
The incident occurred last week, but details only emerged after Minister of National Defense Kao Kuang-chi (高廣圻) was questioned in the legislature over the past two days.
According to military officials, the Tzu I struck a concrete breakwater to the south of the Zuoying naval base section on the evening of Tuesday last week.
Photo courtesy of the Coast Guard Administration
The 4,100-tonne Tzu I with the Magong Port-based (馬公) 146th Fleet is the fifth of eight Taiwan-built Cheng Kung-class frigates based on the Oliver Hazard Perry-class of US frigates.
It was headed to the South China Sea alongside the 2,105-tonne Tainan Coast Guard Administration patrol vessel, which is to deliver supplies to outposts in the Spratlys, including Itu Aba Island (Taiping Island, 太平島).
The supply mission, known as the “Bi Hai,” or “Blue Sea” program, was delayed for five days as supplies were transferred to another navy frigate, Kao said yesterday.
The Tzu I underwent repairs, Kao added.
Kao said the incident stemmed from an inexperienced crew member in the navigation room who mistook instructions from the captain, adding that there was only “minor damage” to a protective plate for the sonar dome on the bow section.
The navy is carrying out an investigation to determine the circumstances of the accident and its cause, and will mete out appropriate punishments, Kao said.
He said the mission’s schedule was only delayed for a few days and operations at the outposts were not affected.
However, a report by the Chinese-language United Daily News said the vessel had sustained significant damage.
Quoting a retired navy captain, the report said the ship’s sonar dome was rendered inoperable, requiring repairs that could cost several million New Taiwan dollars.
If the inner workings of the sonar units was damaged, the costs could be 10 times that amount, said the retired captain, who declined to be named.
The incident indicated major flaws in the ship’s operation, as navigating a port requires experienced helmsmen in charge, while a newly inducted seaman would never be in charge of steering controls, the retired captain said.
There have been other recent activities by the navy to patrol the nation’s maritime territories in the South China Sea.
Deputy General Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Wang Hsin-wei (王興尉) led a mission aboard a patrol ship to visit the nation’s troops on the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) on Tuesday last week.
Wang was accompanied by Coast Guard Administration Deputy Director Cheng Chang-hsiung (鄭樟雄) and other officials, as the Dongsha Command Post is staffed by the coast guard, which also patrols the surrounding waters, asserting the nation’s sovereignty in the Pratas region.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
RSS