Taiwan’s CSBC Corporation has hosted a keel-laying ceremony for the country’s navy’s first ever indigenously-built amphibious transport dock.
The ceremony took place in Kaohsiung on June 9 and was attended by defense ministry and navy officials.
CSBC is building the the 153-meter ship under a contract worth around $155 million from 2018. Construction on the ship started in May 2019, while its delivery is scheduled for 2022.
The yet-to-be-named ship will have a displacement of 10,000 tons and a range of 7,000 nautical miles. It will support amphibious combat and transport tasks, including supporting special operations and mine-laying. It will also be used for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions.
CSBC noted that it has signed contracts with the Taiwan defense ministry for the construction of coast guard patrol ships, four 1,000-ton patrol vessels and fiften 100-ton patrol ships, with deliveries scheduled to take place in the next few years.
