DEFENSE/Contractor says submarine will not complete sea trials on time

Taipei, Sept. 17 (CNA) Shipbuilder CSBC Corp., Taiwan said Wednesday that Taiwan's first indigenous defense submarine will miss its September deadline for completing sea acceptance tests.

Sea trials for the submarine, named the Narwhal, or Hai Kun in Chinese, began in June, but Navy Chief of Staff Chiu Chun-jung (邱俊榮) said Tuesday that the vessel was moored in a port and needed to clear a safety assessment before it could undergo surfaced and submerged tests at sea.

So far, watertight tests below the waterline and inspections of the sub's underwater equipment have been completed, Chiu added during a Ministry of National Defense (MND) news conference.

At a press briefing on Wednesday, CSBC President Tsai Kun-tsung (蔡坤宗) said that completing the sea acceptance trials in September was "impossible," judging by the current progress.

The shipbuilder's Chairman Chen Jeng-horng (陳政宏), meanwhile, said the company would make every effort to accelerate the progress of ongoing trials without sacrificing safety.

Asked about the Navy's warning that the company will face a fine if it fails to deliver the boat in November as stipulated in the contract, Tsai pledged that CSBC would make every effort to meet its contractual obligations and avoid the penalty.

On Wednesday, Chiu said the Navy agreed with the company's assessment.

"We will work with CSBC Corp., Taiwan to explore how subsequent trials can be safely conducted," Chiu said.

In January, the Kuomintang and the Taiwan People's Party froze NT$1 billion (US$33.28 million) allocated to the government's Indigenous Defense Submarine program amid reports that the Narwhal had been experiencing technical issues and that trials had fallen behind schedule.

The opposition parties resolved that the funds would only be released once sea trials are completed and the Navy submits a report to the Legislature.