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.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
Taiwan successfully defended its women’s 540 kilogram title and won its first-ever men’s 640 kg title at the 2026 World Indoor Tug of War Championships in Taipei yesterday. In the women’s event, Taiwan’s eight-person squad reached the final following a round-robin preliminary round and semifinals featuring teams from Ukraine, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Basque Country and South Korea. In the finals, they swept the Basque team 2-0, giving the team composed mainly of National Taiwan Normal University students and graduates its second championship in a row, and its fourth in five years. Team captain
RSS