Taiwan to increase monitoring of 52 ships using flags of convenience

Kaohsiung, Feb. 26 (CNA) Taiwan's government indicated it will step up the monitoring of 52 ships sailing under flags of convenience after recent incidents in which submarine cables in the Taiwan Strait were damaged, Ocean Affairs Council (OAC) Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) said Wednesday.

Kuan indicated that many vessels flying flags of convenience often drop anchor near Taiwan when the sea conditions are bad, resulting in damage to submarine cables.

In terms of protecting submarine cables, Kuan said the Maritime Port Bureau under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications uses a smart navigation safety system to monitor the cables and if a ship remains in an area close to a submarine cable for an extended period of time, an alarm is triggered.

Chunghwa Telecom, which operates the undersea cables, also hires civilian vessels to patrol the area.

Taiwan has compiled a blacklist of 52 ships which it will closely monitor, including "Hong Tai," a Chinese-funded, Togolese-flagged freighter, seized by the authorities on Tuesday, according to Kuan.

The government also plans to increase penalties for those that damage submarine cables, she said.

A submarine cable connecting Taiwan proper and the Matsu Islands, dubbed the Taiwan-Matsu No. 2 cable, suffered a "complete disconnection" on Feb. 16. Another connecting Taiwan and the Penghu Islands, dubbed the Taiwan-Penghu No. 3 cable, was apparently damaged by "Hong Tai" and its crew on Feb. 25.

Both incidents will be subject to investigations at the national security level, according to Kuan.