TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) will commission its first Tuo Jiang-class stealth corvette this week in another sign of progress for Taiwan’s shipbuilding sector, reports said Wednesday (Dec. 9).

The construction of an indigenous submarine started off this year amid a high level of interest, but the 600-ton Anping corvette will also receive plenty of attention at its launch scheduled for Friday (Dec. 11), the Liberty Times reported. The ship is a modified version of the Navy’s Tuo Jiang-class patrol boats.

The Anping is only the beginning, as a further three “Anping-class” vessels for the CGA will be delivered before the end of 2026. According to the Liberty Times, the total budget for the project, including weapons systems, amounted to NT$14.44 billion (US$511.79 million).

Over the same period, the Navy planned to commission three of its own Tuo Jiang-class corvettes with a larger size of 700 tonnes and equipped with missile systems and 3D radars. The first of the ships is expected to be completed at a shipyard in Kaohsiung and should be handed over to the Navy in July 2021, reports said.