TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) was in Kaohsiung on Friday to attend the keel laying ceremony for the first of six new large patrol vessels for the Coast Guard. 

The first of the An-lung class offshore patrol ships is expected to be completed by the end of 2026, with the other five ships anticipated to be completed by 2031, per Upmedia. Speaking at the CSBC shipyard in Kaohsiung, Lai said the domestic shipbuilding project reflects Taiwan’s commitment to ensuring maritime security and protecting national sovereignty, CNA reported. 

Lai gave his full support for the project and pledged that Taiwan would see it to completion. Completing the six new vessels represents an important milestone for Taiwan’s domestic shipbuilding industry and for the Coast Guard Administration, Lai said.  

Standing next to the Director of the Oceans Affairs Council, Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲), and CSBC Chair Huang Cheng-hung (黃正弘), Lai lit incense and prayed for the steady progress and success of the An-lung’s construction. 

Plans for the six patrol vessels were approved in 2022, with a budget of NT$12.9 billion (US$390 million) allocated for the project. Each ship, weighing over 3,000 tons, will be equipped with 20-mm gun turrets developed by the National Chung-shan Institute of Science and Technology, per Upmedia. 

The ships will serve as versatile assets for Taiwan’s maritime security. They will be designed to deploy smaller speedboats to assist with patrol missions and to tow vessels up to 4,000 tons. 

Featuring a state-of-the-art hybrid propulsion system, the ships will be capable of circling Taiwan up to 30 times without needing to dock and refuel, according to a press release. In addition to protecting Taiwan’s fisheries from poachers, they will also provide logistic support to Taiwan’s offshore islands in emergencies. 

With their deep-sea faring capability, the An-lung class patrol ships will be capable of deployments throughout the Indo-Pacific or further abroad for missions and training exercises.