New Coast Guard patrol boat dispatched to Penghu

Penghu, Nov. 20 (CNA) The first of the Coast Guard's 4th generation 100-metric-ton patrol boats was launched and immediately dispatched to the Penghu Offshore Flotilla Saturday.

The motorboat, numbered 10087, was commissioned by the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) and built by Jong Shyn Shipbuilding in Kaohsiung.

The vessel was originally scheduled to launch in January next year, but the date was brought forward during the north-east wind season this year, according to the Fleet Branch of CGA.

According to the CGA, the new vessels will be engaged in safeguarding Taiwan's oceanic frontline, with major missions including prohibiting incursion by Chinese fishing boats, marine conservation, and pandemic prevention -- in particular stopping COVID-19 and African swine fever.

Chief of the CGA's Fleet Branch Liao Te-cheng (廖德成) said that a total of 141 motorboats comprising six different model types would be commissioned from 2018 to 2027.

The boats of the 4th generation, which are 40 meters in length, are longer and bigger than the previous generations, with better strength to withstand stronger waves and hence safety, the Coast Guard said.

The patrol vessel 10087 is the first motorboat launched in the 100-metric-ton category of its generation, with 16 more to come in the next 6 years, according to CGA's Fleet Branch.