The six additional Min Jiang-class minelaying ships cost more due to higher steel prices and minimum wages, the Navy said in a recent legislative report.
The cost of each new ship has increased to over NT$76.5 million (US$ 2.52 million), the Navy said, Liberty Times reported. It attributed the hefty price tag to a 53% rise in steel prices and a 43% increase in minimum wages.
Between 2017 and 2021, the Navy invested NT$917.77 million to commission Lungteh Shipbuilding Co. to build four fast mine-laying boats. Upon their completion, it allocated NT$1.8 billion to procure six more vessels from 2025 to 2027 under the “Yong Jie Project.”
Once delivered, the Navy will have 10 rapid minelaying boats to deter Chinese amphibious landings.
The ships are approximately 40 meters in length and 8.8 meters in width, with a full-load displacement of around 376 tonnes. Each vessel can carry 32-64 domestically produced Wan Hsiang naval mines, deployed from four fixed mine-laying tracks at the midship and aft sections. The mines can be launched manually or remotely.
