The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) is to make it compulsory for all fishing vessels with gross tonnage under 20 tonnes to install an automatic identification system (AIS) by next year to prevent Chinese speedboat incursions.
CGA Director-General Chang Chung-lung (張忠龍) said his agency has been in talks with the Maritime Port Bureau and the Fisheries Agency to demand that all Taiwanese fishing vessels to install an AIS before the end of next year.
All Taiwanese offshore fishing vessels with gross tonnage of 20 tonnes or higher have already installed an AIS, an automatic tracking system that uses transceivers on ships and is used by vessel traffic services.
Photo courtesy of the Coast Guard Administration
Having all local fishing vessels install an AIS would make it easier for CGA personnel to spot non-Taiwanese vessels near harbors and ports, Chang said.
Chang mentioned the new initiative when asked by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) what the CGA plans to do to keep Chinese speedboat incursions from happening.
The CGA is responsible for patrolling waters up to 24 nautical miles (44km) from the coast.
There have been at least four incidents involving Chinese nationals sailing speedboats into Taiwanese harbors without being detected in the past four years. The most recent case was in Kinmen on Monday.
Defense experts have repeatedly urged the government to be on high alert for similar incursions as they could be part of Chinese government tests of Taiwan’s coastal and harbor management.
The Shilin District Court last month sentenced a Chinese man who sailed a speedboat near the mouth of the Tamsui River in June to eight months in prison for breaching immigration law.
The Tamsui incident drew special attention because the river is considered a critical strategic location and serves as a gateway to Taipei, the nation’s political, economic and social capital, where the Presidential Office Building and other important government institutions are situated.
The CGA disciplined 10 people for allowing the Chinese speedboat to reach the mouth of the river.
At the time, the CGA admitted negligence in its failure to spot the speedboat, but argued that there were more than 30 vessels near Tamsui, which made it difficult to spot the Chinese boat.
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