The Offshore Wind Farms Channel Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) Center was inaugurated on Saturday at the Port of Taichung to strengthen maritime traffic safety around offshore wind farms, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) said that as Taiwan accelerates the development of offshore wind energy, it must also expand its maritime traffic monitoring capabilities.
Photo: Chang Hsuan-che, Taipei Times
Taiwan started from scratch in offshore wind energy development, but has since become one of the world's top five developers, Chen said.
He also underscored the need for continued improvements in vessel traffic monitoring.
Artificial intelligence would be used at the center in the future to automatically detect maritime traffic anomalies, helping protect both vessels and wind turbines, he added.
Marine and Port Bureau Director-General Yeh Hsieh-lung (葉協隆) said the inauguration of the VTS center has expanded the monitoring area from 673km² to about 4,000km².
Yeh said the center would track vessel movement in real time, communicate directly with ships through radio and automatic identification systems, serve as a coordination platform for commercial and fishing vessels, and issue automatic alerts when irregular activity is detected.
To enhance operational resilience, the facility is equipped with an uninterrupted power supply system and dual network systems, and has completed integration with major offshore wind farm monitoring systems in neighboring Changhua County, Yeh said.
He added that the construction of four radar stations linked to the center is scheduled to be completed by next year, when they would become fully operational.
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰), who also attended the ceremony, said the new center, together with Taiwan's ongoing offshore wind development, would help the nation meet international standards.
In a Facebook post, Cho said the center marked a new milestone in Taiwan's energy management, smart governance and maritime safety.
About 30,000 vessels pass through offshore wind farm areas in Changhua each year, making safety a top priority, he said.
Taiwan's installed offshore wind power capacity reached 3.5 gigawatts by the end of last year, he added.
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