Six new patrol cutters are to be built after the Coast Guard Administration received approval to build the 3,000-tonne displacement vessels, an official said yesterday.
The Cabinet in July approved the coast guard’s NT$12.9 billion (US$460.27 million) plan to build the ships, which are to be used in exercises with the US coast guard alongside normal duties, the official said on condition of anonymity.
The ships are to be substantially larger and more capable than the biggest cutters the coast guard currently has in service: the Hsun Hu No. 8 and the Hsun Hu No. 9, which are 1,000-tonne vessels, the official said.
The new ships are to augment the coast guard’s ability to carry out its mission and discharge its responsibilities under the Taiwan-US Memorandum of Understanding on Coast Guard Cooperation, which the two countries signed on March 25, they said.
Citing a video conference between the two nations’ coast guards on Aug. 11, the official said that the focus of the collaboration would be to facilitate joint maritime rescue and suppress illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
The overall goal of the cooperation is to enhance the joint capabilities of Taiwan and the US in responding to rising challenges at sea, they said.
The budget is separate from a NT$42.65 billion plan to procure several new coast guard patrol vessels, including four 4,000-tonne ships, five 1,000-tonne ships, 17 100-tonne cutters, 50 35-tonne-class patrol boats and 50 multipurpose coastal craft, the source said.
The 3,000-tonne program is to be implemented from next year to 2032, with bidding to begin next year, the official said, adding that the program would help sustain the defense-related ship-building sector.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost