CSBC Corp, Taiwan, the main contractor for Taiwan’s first indigenous submarine, has pledged to promptly address issues in the vessel’s interior raised by an opposition lawmaker on Friday, but said that it did not expect ongoing tests to be affected.
In a statement later on Friday, CSBC categorized the issues raised by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ma Wen-chun (馬文君) as “cosmetic issues” and said they could be immediately rectified.
Ma raised questions on social media about the submarine, the Hai Kun (海鯤), or Narwhal, citing photos and footage of President William Lai’s (賴清德) visit onboard the docked vessel on Thursday released by the Presidential Office.
Photo: Lee Hui-chou, Taipei Times
Among the issues Ma pointed out were three missing rivets in a visibly uneven steel panel behind a meeting table and water stains on an exhaust duct casing.
Ma questioned whether the water stains had resulted from a leak.
She also cited a video showing that a bunk bed curtain appeared stuck when the president tried to open it, but said that was likely a minor issue.
In its statement, CSBC said the flaws stemmed from “incomplete restoration following work done,” likely meaning that the areas affected had work done, but were not restored to their previous condition.
Any repairs would not affect ongoing tests of the submarine, the shipbuilder said.
The company said it is contractually obligated to ensure the ship’s appearance and finish prior to delivery, and would recheck and correct any issues related to the vessel’s overall exterior and interior before delivery, after which the navy would conduct a final inspection.
The Narwhal has so far passed six shallow-water submersion tests, and further sea trials were proceeding step by step under the principles of safety and quality assurance, CSBC said.
Any indication of flaws in the submarine raises concerns given the delays the prototype vessel has faced.
Former indigenous submarine program convener Huang Shu-kuang (黃曙光) said in September 2023, when the submarine prototype was unveiled, that the submarine could be delivered to the navy before the end of 2024, but that did not happen.
A contractual deadline of November last year was also unmet, amid reports of technical issues, including components and parts failing due to voltage surges from an onshore power supply to which the ship was connected during testing last month.
CSBC last month said that it was working to deliver the submarine in June, but Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) on Friday said his ministry would no longer set a timeline and would instead focus on ensuring that safety requirements are met.
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