TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) on Thursday (Aug. 12) confirmed reports that a French warship had anchored just off the coast of western Taiwan.

At 6:28 p.m. on Wednesday (Aug. 11), naval enthusiast Facebook page New27Brigade (新‧二七部隊 軍事雜談) cited ship-tracking website MarineTraffic as reporting that a French frigate, believed to be the FS Provence (D-652), was located just off the coast of Fangyuan Township in Changhua County. The post stated that there had not been any known French naval movements in the Asia-Pacific region recently, and although the page's owner claimed MarineTraffic had verified the vessel is a military ship, it could not confirm that it was indeed the Provence.

According to MarineTraffic, the ship was located at 24°00'10.9"N 120°16'24.7"E, directly opposite the Fangyuan Lighthouse, in Fangyuan Township and southwest of the Changhua Binhai Industrial Zone. When asked to comment on the veracity of the ship's presence, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) sent a statement to Taiwan News in which it claimed it "has complete awareness of the situation in the air and surrounding waters" and that the situation is "normal."

On Thursday afternoon, CNA cited a CGA official as confirming that a French warship was anchored off the coast of Fangyuan Township. The official added that the CGA had dispatched a cutter to the scene to investigate.

When asked to comment on the matter, the CGA told Taiwan News that it is coordinating with the MND on closely monitoring the process and has effectively ascertained the situation. At the same time, it stated that it will respond to the situation in accordance with regulations and undertake measures that ensure the safety of the waters around Taiwan, calling on the public to "please rest easy."

MarineTraffic lists the warship's Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) number as 999999998. According to ship-tracking service FleetMon, 999999998 is the MMSI for the FS Provence, an Aquitaine-class frigate of the French Navy that was commissioned in 2015.

France's de facto embassy in Taiwan, the French Office in Taipei, has not yet responded to requests for comment.