Work on new coastal patrol cutter starts, delivery slated for 2026

Kaohsiung, Sept. 10 (CNA) A ceremony marking the official start of construction on a new coastal patrol vessel was held Tuesday at CSBC Corp. shipyard in Kaohsiung, with the ship scheduled for delivery in 2026.

The government has since 2022 budgeted NT$12.9 billion (US$400.67 million) to build six new high-latitude patrol cutters for the Coast Guard Administration (CGA), Ocean Affairs Council head Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) said during the steel-cutting ceremony for the first new patrol vessel.

In September 2023, CSBC won a contract from the CGA to build the vessels, with the first slated to be completed in 2026, according to Kuan.

The six new 5,000-tonne patrol vessels will be larger and more capable than those the coast guard currently has in service, Kuan said.

She added that the steel-hulled ships will be equipped with a hybrid oil-electric propulsion system that can improve their performance and endurance and enable them to conduct high sea patrols in all the areas where Taiwan's fishing vessels operate.

In order to improve emergency preparedness, the first ship under construction will be equipped with 53 temporary emergency shelter beds and a number of medical isolation cabins. In addition, the rear deck will have an area for emergency supplies storage and transportation, according to Kuan.

At the ceremony, CSBC Chairman Huang Cheng-hung (黃正弘) said the ship will have a total length of 124 meters, a width of 16.5 meters, and a depth of 8 meters.

The law enforcement weapons system on board will be upgraded from machine guns to a new 20-mm remote-controlled turret developed by the National Chung Shan Institute of Science and Technology, which in combination with a modular container design will make the new patrol cutter a multi-functional vessel, according to Huang.