Taiwan: Jong Shyn Shipbuilding Bags CGA Ship Order

The construction of a 600-tonne Coast Guard Administration (CGA) patrol ship by  the Taiwan-based shipbuilding company Jong Shyn Shipbuilding Corporation (JSSC) began in Kaohsiung.

An official statement from Taiwan coast guard said that the ship is the first of a dozen to be produced by the company for the agency.

According to Taipei Times, CGA Fleet Branch head Hsieh Ching-chin and JSSC Chairman Han Pi-hsiang presided over the initiation ceremony Friday to mark the start of the ship's construction.

The report quoted Hsieh saying that the construction of the patrol ship symbolized a new milestone in the country's shipbuilding capabilities and will help the CGA meet its maritime patrol duties.

The 600-tonne ship's design is based on the blueprint for the Navy's Tuo Chiang-class corvettes but will also include high-pressure water cannons and special communications and weapons systems, the CGA's Fleet Branch said.

According to a coast guard development plan, 141 ships — four 4,000-tonne, six 1,000-tonne, 12 600-tonne, 17 100-tonne, 52 35-tonne and 50 coastal multipurpose ships — are to be constructed by 2027.