The Coast Guard’s largest vessel, the Kaohsiung, has set off to the South China Sea to participate in annual Coast Guard exercises.
The Kaohsiung was commissioned on June 6. It left port in secret on Thursday and is expected to reach the Taiwan-administered Taiping Island (also known as Itu Aba) on Saturday.
Coast Guard Minister Wang Chung-yi is on board. He will inspect progress on a new pier under construction on the island.
The new ship, with a full load displacement of 3719 tons, will cut travel time to and from the island from a week to just five days.