TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) on Saturday presided over the commissioning of a patrol ship and the naming of the first high-latitude oceanic patrol vessel for the Coast Guard Administration.

The Taipei is the fourth offshore patrol vessel of the Chiayi class, while the Siraya is the Coast Guard’s first high-latitude oceanic patrol vessel and its first ship to be named after Indigenous people, per CNA. The president attended the event in Kaohsiung, where CSBC Corporation, Taiwan, built the ships.

Lai described the four 4,000-tonnes Chiayi-class patrol vessels as the largest ships guarding Taiwan’s waters. In addition, the naming of the Siraya was a milestone for the building of new Coast Guard ships, signaling its determination to protect the oceans and the nation’s security, the president said.

The plan is to build 141 ships for the Coast Guard between 2018 and 2027. By 2032, Taiwan will also operate six high-latitude oceanic patrol vessels, including the Siraya, given a budget of NT$11.7 billion (US$379.91 million).