CNA file photo

Taipei, Dec. 13 (CNA) It will take the Navy about six months to assess and make a decision about how to proceed with its plan to build six minesweepers, now that the contract with Ching Fu Shipbuilding Co. (CFS) has been terminated, an unnamed naval official said Wednesday.

According to the source, there are only two remaining options on the table for the Navy after the Ministry of National Defense announced earlier in the day that it has officially terminated its contract with CFS.

It could either invite shipbuilding companies to submit new bids for the contract or scrap altogether plans to build the minesweepers, according to the source.

The problem with a fresh request for tenders is that it would delay the previously expected deadline for the delivery of the minesweepers by three to four years, the official continued.

Prior to the termination of the CFS contract, other shipbuilding companies could have bought out CFS, a move that would have saved the Navy the trouble of accepting and reviewing bids, but that did not happen.

The other option would be to scrap the building of the new minesweepers and instead focus on upgrading the older model minesweepers the Navy currently possesses.

Both options have their pros and cons, and the Navy will need approximately six months to assess the situation and make a decision, the source said.

(By Lu Hsin-hui and Kuan-lin Liu)
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