DEFENSE/Defense minister denies anchor-free submarine tests endangered crew

Taipei, Dec. 1 (CNA) Defense Minister Wellington Koo (顧立雄) on Monday denied that testing Taiwan's submarine prototype without its anchor endangered the crew, or that the move was driven by pressure to meet a delayed delivery deadline.

Koo told a legislative session that the Narwhal, or Hai Kun (海鯤), "did not require" an anchor system during successful floating navigation tests on Thursday and Friday last week.

"Making sure sea trials are conducted safely has always been our top priority," Koo said.

At the same session, Navy Chief of Staff Chiu Chun-jung (邱俊榮) said that the Narwhal's anchor was not on the prototype during the recently concluded sea trials because some components needed to be replaced.

After fine-tuning, the anchor will be reinstalled around mid-December in time for subsequent sea trials, Chiu said.

The Navy is now levying daily fines of NT$190,000 (US$6,043) on Kaohsiung-based shipbuilder CSBC Corp. for failing to meet the original November delivery deadline for the Narwhal prototype, according to Koo.

In a statement issued on Friday, CSBC said crew safety is its top priority and that each test is reviewed by project staff and foreign consultants and carried out only after meeting safety requirements, with escort vessels accompanying the trials.

CSBC said the submarine will next undergo shallow-depth tests to verify basic systems, followed by progressively deeper trials to check performance under increasing pressure and confirm it meets combat requirements.

The Narwhal's sea trials were originally slated to begin in April and finish by Sept. 30.