While some foreign research vessels are suspending operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwan is mostly unaffected, with those boarding research vessels required to take regular measures to protect against the disease.
The US University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS), which coordinates oceanographic research vessel use across 59 academic institutions, on March 13 halted operations on its vessels for 30 days, later extending the restriction until July, the weekly magazine Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union reported.
In Taiwan, most ocean research appears to be unaffected, despite cluster infections having been reported on the navy supply ship Panshih (磐石) and foreign cruises.
Screengrab from the Web site of National Sun Yat-sen University
National Sun Yat-sen University’s (NSYSU) R/V New Ocean Researcher 3 on Wednesday embarked on its first scientific voyage to the north of the South China Sea, the school said, adding that it is to return tomorrow.
Sixteen crew and technicians, as well as eight researchers, would be involved in surveying the carbon cycle and microplastics in the deep ocean, said the voyage’s lead scientist Hung Chin-chang (洪慶章), the vice dean of NSYSU’s College of Marine Sciences.
Hung said that anyone showing suspected symptoms of COVID-19 would be isolated in the ship’s healthcare room, and the team would immediately inform the university to make arrangements.
The ship would not dock on any islands, while the team would follow disease prevention measures, such as checking their temperatures twice a day, using personal eating utensils, and sanitizing public facilities daily, he said, adding that the supply of masks on the ship was sufficient.
Separately, Taiwan Ocean Research Institute Director Wang Chau-chang (王兆璋) said that most of the R/V Legend’s (勵進) voyages were unaffected by the pandemic, except a trip scheduled to dock in Manila in early March that was canceled due to the outbreak in the Philippines.
Most of the Legend’s missions were conducted in nearby waters, such as near Itu Aba Island (Taiping Island, 太平島) in the South China Sea or the Okinawa Trough in the East China Sea, from which it could sail back to Taiwan within three days, Wang said.
The Legend can carry 43 people, including crew and scientists, at full capacity, he added.
The institute, NSYSU and National Taiwan Ocean University, which operates the New Ocean Researcher 2, have prepared preventive and response plans, including daily temperature checks, the wearing of masks, dining rules and the sanitation of facilities, the Ministry of Science and Technology said in a statement on Friday.
The vessels are equipped with satellite communication systems, and people on board can contact the Coast Guard Administration for help if needed, it added.
The New Ocean Researcher 1, now maintained by CSBC Corp, Taiwan at its shipyard in Keelung, has not yet been transferred to National Taiwan University’s Institute of Oceanography, but the latter said that it has pre-emptively introduced a response plan.
A series of discussions on the legacy of martial law and authoritarianism are to be held at the Taipei International Book Exhibition this month, featuring findings and analysis by the Transitional Justice Commission. The commission and publisher Book Republic organized the series, entitled “Escaping the Nation’s Labyrinth of Memory: What Authoritarian Symbols and Records Can Tell Us,” to help people navigate narratives through textual analysis and comparisons with other nations. The four-day series is to begin on Thursday next week with a discussion between commission Chairwoman Yang Tsui (楊翠), Polish-language translator Lin Wei-yun (林蔚昀), and Polish author and artist Pawel Gorecki comparing
‘EFFECTIVE DETERRENCE’: If the Biden administration suspends arms sales to Taiwan, the military could still ready a nimble fighting force for defense, an analyst said The “US Strategic Framework for the Indo-Pacific” last week sparked debate among analysts after US President Donald Trump declassified the document 20 years ahead of schedule. Trump on Tuesday last week released the document that had governed US strategic action in the region since the US leader approved its use in 2018. The document, which outlines US priorities in the region, emphasizes the importance of defending Taiwan against military aggression and facilitating the country’s development of asymmetric strategies and capabilities. The overall directive of the document is for the US to prevent China from establishing sustained air and sea dominance inside the first
MOVING OUT: A former professor said that rent and early education costs in Taipei are the nation’s highest, which makes it difficult for young people to start families The population of Taipei last year fell to the lowest in 23 years due to high rent, more transportation options and the expansion of northern cities into a single metropolis, academics and city officials said on Monday. Data released this month by the Ministry of the Interior showed that the capital was home to 2,602,418 people last year, down 42,623 from 2019. The decline is second only to 1993, when the population fell by 42,828 people, while Taipei’s population was the lowest it has been since 1997. Taipei saw the biggest drop among the six special municipalities, while Taoyuan led the group in
A legislator yesterday called for authorities to investigate the sale of Chinese-made, Internet-connected karaoke machines containing “propaganda songs.” Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃) said she was approached by a person who had discovered Chinese patriotic songs such as My Motherland (我的祖國) — which is commonly referred to as China’s “second national anthem” — in Chinese-made karaoke devices sold in Taiwan. The machines are popular, as they can connect to the Internet, providing access to thousands of songs, she said. One retailer, who asked to remain anonymous, said that the machines first entered the local market about three years ago, starting with