TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Shipbuilder CSBC Corporation Taiwan rejected allegations it had compromised safety when the Narwhal submarine sailed out to sea without an anchor, reports said Saturday.

Taiwan’s first indigenous submarine conducted two days of sea acceptance tests Thursday and Friday. However, on the second day, it left Kaohsiung Port without a functioning anchor, according to a report by the Mirror Daily.

The report accused the shipbuilder of putting the submarine crew’s lives at risk by allowing the Narwhal to head to sea without the anchor. CSBC acknowledged Saturday afternoon that the anchor mechanism was being adjusted by the manufacturer, and that it would be fitted again later.

However, the company denied the absence of the anchor posed a safety risk, the Liberty Times reported. Separate allegations that there had been problems with watertight doors on board were false, the shipbuilder said.

CSBC emphasized that the safety of the crew was paramount. A professional team including technical assistants from overseas and end users had prepared each phase of the tests, the company said.

The sea acceptance tests were initially supposed to end in September, but the Narwhal has still not conducted shallow and deep diving, the two final phases of the tests. The Navy had been scheduled to take delivery of the submarine by the end of November.