South China Sea: Taiwan unveils coastguard vessel that doubles as warship

Name: Taiwan unveils new amphibious assault and transport ship for service in the South China Sea
Uploaded: 2021-04-29T09:21:50.000Z
Duration: 1 min 45 s
Description: Taiwan unveils new amphibious assault and transport ship for service in the South China Sea

Chiayi is first of a fleet of coastguard ships that can be converted into warships to boost defence of the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands and Taiping Island

Taipei is adding to its coastguard’s defence capability in the disputed South China Sea, where Beijing has expanded its military presence

Reading Time:2 minutes

Why you can trust SCMP

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen is among the dignitaries as the new coastguard ship Chiayi is commissioned in Kaohsiung. Photo: Reuters

Lawrence Chung

Published: 5:21pm, 29 Apr 2021Updated: 5:21pm, 29 Apr 2021

Taiwan has commissioned the first of a fleet of coastguard ships that can be converted into warships to bolster defence of Taipei-controlled islands in the South China Sea, amid growing threats from mainland China.

Delivery of the new 5,000-tonne patrol vessel Chiayi – Taiwan’s largest – to the island’s coastguard, along with the launch of another similar frigate on Thursday, came two weeks after the Taiwanese navy launched its first modern amphibious assault and transport vessel, Yushan, to meet its needs in the disputed waters.

According to navy officials, commissioning the frigate would boost the coastguard’s defence capability, reinforcing defence of the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands – or Dongsha in Chinese – and Taiping Island in the South China Sea, where Beijing has expanded its military presence.

01:45

Taiwan unveils new amphibious assault and transport ship for service in the South China Sea

At a commissioning ceremony in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan, President Tsai Ing-wen said delivery of the coastguard ship and the launch of the amphibious vessel showed the Taiwanese government’s commitment to domestic shipbuilding and military modernisation.

“I believe, after the delivery, training and commissioning of Chiayi as well as the completion of other relevant shipbuilding projects, the coastguard will be able to bolster its patrol capacity while ensuring the safety of law enforcement officials,” she said.

Construction of Chiayi falls under a NT$10.4 billion (US$370 million) contract awarded to Taiwan’s CSBC Corporation in 2018 to build four patrol ships for the island’s coastguard.

Chiayi has undergone testing and sea trials since its launch last June. On Thursday, CSBC also launched another coastguard frigate, which was named Hsinchu by Tsai. Chiayi and Hsinchu are names of cities in Taiwan.

Select Voice

Choose your listening speed

Get through articles 2x faster

1.25x

250 WPM

Slow

Average

Fast

00:0000:00

1.25x