Taiwan commissioned new minelayers to bolster its naval defenses. A total of four high-speed minelayers were commissioned by the Navy, which it received late last year.
The ships were built by Taiwanese manufacturer Lungteh Shipbuilding with an investment of more than NT$900 million ($33 million).
The initial order of four ships is part of Tsai’s efforts to revitalize the domestic weapons industry and reduce Taiwan’s dependence on the United States for defensive weapons.
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen presided over the commissioning ceremony of the first and second Mining Operations squadrons under the 192th Fleet, which was held on January 14 at the Navy’s Kaohsiung Zuoying Base.
Tsai said “These are the first minelaying squadrons established by the Republic of China Navy… I am very glad we have been able to witness this important moment together.”
“Proud to witness the commissioning of our Navy’s first dedicated minelayer squadrons. These domestically-built fast minelayers mark yet another step forward for Taiwan’s own defense industry and will further strengthen our readiness and resilience in the face of evolving threats.” Tsai posted on her Twitter.
According to Tsai, the high-speed automatic minelaying system can operate quickly and withstand rough sea conditions.
The navy will operate these vessels that are capable of automatically seeding large numbers of small but powerful mines at high speed without divers.
The Naval Fleet Command said that the establishment of the mine-laying force is part of the Defense Ministry’s efforts to strengthen asymmetric defense capabilities.
Each minelaying ship weighs around 315 tonnes, with a length of 41m, and a width of 8.8m. It is armed with a T-75 20mm cannon on the bow, as well as a T-74 7.62mm machine gun and three mine-laying tracks on each side.
The vessels are equipped with an automatic minelaying system developed by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology.
Military strategists believe that these ships would enhance Taiwan’s asymmetric warfare capabilities, and could join forces with allied ships to deter or delay enemy attempts to land troops on Taiwan.
