Breaking News, World News and Taiwan News.

Updated Wednesday, July 8, 2009 9:48 am TWN, The China Post news staff

Sponsors
▪	Buy china wholesale products from reliable chinese wholesalers on DHgate.com!
▪	Save 75% for all hotels in Shanghai, Beijing and whole China. Lowest rates for Flights in China.
▪	Get the best deals for Guangzhou Hotels or choose from more than 10,000 hotels in 499 Chinese cities.
▪	Find great real time deals on China Flights. Book flights to China or China domestic flights 24/7.

Navy boat stranded at sea off Keelung harbor for fifteen hours

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- A navy boat was stranded off Keelung harbor on the evening of June 19 for approximately fifteen hours when [its furnace] could not be reignited, causing it to lose power. The boat was safely towed back to Keelung harbor by the navy and has resumed its regular duties after undergoing repairs, the navy said. Legislators from both the blue and green camps criticized the navy's apparent shortcomings in maintenance, questioning the navy's readiness in the event of a real conflict. The naval command admitted that one of its boats, the “Hai Yang” from the 168th fleet, was stranded at sea for fifteen hours as initially reported by Apple Daily. However, it issued a statement denying the Apple Daily's report that the boat involved was the Knox class missile frigate, the “Huai Yang.”

The incident occurred on the evening of June 19, after the boat left Suao harbor to patrol the waters off the northeastern coast of Taiwan, according to Apple Daily. Problems were discovered with the boat's furnace, which powers the vessel, and the furnace was immediately shut down.

After checks were completed however, the furnace could not be reignited due to electrical failure. Naval command dispatched another boat of the same class to accompany the Hai Yang, while a tow boat was dispatched from Keelung Harbor to the Hai Yang back to Keelung harbor. The Hai Yang was approximately twenty nautical miles from Keelung harbor.

Over three hundred sailors were aboard the Hai Yang, and some feared for their safety as Typhoon Linfa was threatening Taiwan, the Apple Daily reported. The navy emphasized yesterday that the Hai Yang had already resumed its normal duties on June 27 and that everything had been done in accordance with protocol.

However, legislators from both the blue and green camps expressed concern over the incident. Liao Wan-ju from the KMT, who sits on the National Defense Committee, demanded a full investigation into the incident, and blamed it on the government's continued downsizing of the armed forces.

Democratic Progressive Party legislator Tsai Tong-jung said that in the event of real conflict, a boat that loses power basically becomes a lame duck and potentially a floating coffin. Tsai said the incident undermines soldiers' lives as well as Taiwan's defense capabilities.

Subscribe to The China Post and save 25%. Click here