Cabinet approves coast guard preparedness plan

After an incident in which two Chinese fishers died, the premier agreed to use the Cabinet’s secondary reserve fund for 3,061 surveillance cameras

The Executive Yuan has approved a program to protect the nation’s maritime rights and ensure that coast guard patrol vessels are seaworthy, as China Coast Guard vessels are entering restricted waters near Kinmen County.

On Feb. 14, a Chinese vessel with no name, no certificate and no registration capsized in prohibited waters near Kinmen County while being pursued by a Coast Guard Administration (CGA) vessel, resulting in the deaths of two fishers.

Beijing said that there are no “prohibited” or “restricted” waters near Kinmen, and now China Coast Guard vessels have been increasingly intruding in those waters.

The mechanical parts of the CGA’s vessels wear down easily due to the nature of the missions they are used for, CGA said yesterday.

It created the 2024-2028 Coast Guard Patrol Preparedness Program to ensure the seaworthiness of its vessels, navigation safety, that vessels’ main and auxiliary engines function well, and that inspection deadlines and requirements are met, the agency said.

The program would include W5 maintenance — the repair and upkeep of the main and auxiliary engines and key mounting parts — and W6 maintenance — major overhauls and general inspections — to enhance the vessels’ performance and extend their lifespan to at least 15 years, the CGA said.

It would enable patrol operations to be more flexible and effective, the agency added.

Under the program, NT$1.56 billion (US$48.96 million) has been allocated this year for the maintenance of 19 vessels and to order four engines for 3,000-tonne patrol vessels.

NT$1.7 billion would be allocated next year for the maintenance of 14 vessels, as well as for receiving and inspecting backup engines. NT$1.55 billion would be spent on the maintenance of 21 vessels in 2026, while NT$1.8 billion would be spent on 27 vessels in 2027 and NT$2.24 billion on 33 vessels in 2028.

Moreover, Premier Chen Chienjen (陳建仁) has agreed to use the

Cabinet’s secondary reserve fund this year to pay the NT$21.5 million needed for the 3,061 surveillance cameras that coast guard vessels require.

The CGA said it originally planned to purchase the surveillance cameras under its 2025-2028 Coast Guard Basic Equipment Replacement and Improvement Medium-Term Program, but as the Cabinet plans to use its secondary reserve fund, cameras could be installed on all vessels this year.

Of the coast guard’s 172 vessels — excluding 18 on which surveillance cameras cannot be installed, because 16 are to be scrapped and two are rubber boats — a fixed outboard surveillance camera system had been installed on 124 vessels as of the end of last month, it said.

That translates to a coverage rate of 80.5 percent, it said.

After last month’s incident with the Chinese vessel, all coast guard boats that are 10 tonnes or smaller would also have surveillance cameras installed, increasing the coverage rate to 100 percent, the CGA said.

Five new patrol boats that are expected to be received in the next two years would also have surveillance cameras installed, it added.