Taiwan Mulls Increased Regional Maritime Cooperation
Taiwan's coastguard wants to improve cooperation with the Philippines and conduct joint search and rescue exercises despite tense standoffs in disputed waters in recent months, a senior coastguard official said on Thursday. The two sides have agreed to work toward joint exercises and have already held discussions on how to conduct rescue operations, Cheng Chang-hsiung, deputy minister of Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration, told Reuters in an interview. "Now we are moving toward exercises. This is the direction of our efforts. Both sides are making the effort," Cheng said. In late May and early June, Philippine and Taiwan coastguard ships faced off in disputed waters south of Taiwan to protect their fishing vessels and try to assert territorial rights.
Taiwan's Coast Guard to Open New Base
Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration (CGA) plans to open a new base in disputed waters north of Taiwan in May 2016. The new base at Port of Taipei in New Taipei is expected to strengthen the Coast Guard's enforcement of maritime law. The CGA said that the location of the new facility would allow it to respond quickly to fishing disputes and foreign fishing vessels in Taiwanese waters. The construction of the base comes amid disputes in waters surrounding the Diaoyutai Islands (100 nautical miles northeast of Taiwan) in the East China Sea and other areas northwest of Taiwan. The Diaoyutai Islands are claimed by Taiwan, Japan and China. There have also been constant confrontations between Japan and China in the disputed area.
Transas, MDS Win Taiwan's Coastal Surveillance Contract
Transas Marine Pacific and its local partner Mercuries Data Systems (MDS) have secured a multi-million contract from the Taiwan Coast Guard Administration for installation and commissioning of the National Coastal Surveillance System. The mission-critical system is based on the Transas Navi-Harbour software employing advanced features for accurate detection, tracking and identification of small and high-speed targets. The system will provide the Taiwan Coast Guard with real time data on any activities occurring in a coastal zone thus ensuring full control over an entire coastal area. It will help to prevent illegal activity, to protect critical onshore infrastructure from intruders and support decision-making process.
