Administrative Deputy Minister Chi Wen-Jong of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) visited the Maritime and Port Bureau (MPB) today (27th) to witness the signing ceremony for a collaborative agreement between Director-General Yeh Hsieh-Lung and Chairperson Young Hong-Tsu of Taiwan Transportation Safety Board (TTSB). The signing parties will going forward engage in reinforced exchanges and collaboration in matters such as technology-enabled investigation of maritime casualties and major waterway accidents, information sharing as well as education and training so as to jointly enhance Taiwan’s maritime safety. Apart from Administrative Deputy Minister Chi Wen-Jong who was invited to witness the ceremony, Deputy Director Han Chen-Hua of the Department of Navigation and Aviation was also present for the signing ceremony between Director-General Yeh Hsieh-Lung and delegates of the MPB including the Deputy Director-General, Secretary-General and chiefs of various related division, and Chairperson Young Hong-Tsu of TTSB with his team including Vice Chairperson Hsu Yueh-Ling, full-time board members, Managing Director Chang Wen-Huan, and chiefs of the Marine Occurrence Investigation Division and Research and Engineering Division. A total of 20 representatives from either sides attended the ceremony, marking a new milestone in the enhancing of maritime vessel navigation safety.

   In his speech, Administrative Deputy Minister Chi Wen-Jong stated that due to Taiwan’s prime geographical location at the intersection of the Pacific and Far East/Europe routes, as many as 200,000 vessels sail through the surrounding waters per year with expected future growth. Meanwhile, off-shore wind power facilities have also been deployed throughout the western coastal waters in accordance with the nation’s energy transition policies, contributing to the changes in external environment that urge us to exercise greater due diligence toward ensuring ocean safety. Through the signing of this agreement, which symbolizes comprehensive cooperation between TTSB and the MOTC’s maritime, aviation and transportation units, the MPB and TTSB are expected to engage in resource sharing and joint disaster mitigation. In the future, the parties aim to achieve the joint goal of reinforcing maritime safety by enhancing vessel monitoring and control, early warning, reporting and response through talent cultivation, technological exchange, resource sharing, and the utilization of technologically-enabled approaches.

   TTSB Chairperson Young Hong-Tsu stated in his speech that throughout its 21 years of experience in investigating major aircraft accidents, the Aviation Safety Council has performed safety investigation operations in accordance with the guidelines enacted by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). This has not only enabled the Council to stay up to date with international practices, but has also contributed to enhanced aviation safety in Taiwan. After the Council was formally reorganized and renamed the Taiwan Transportation Safety Board last year, the waterway division has in particular sought to adhere to the regulations formulated by the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Chairperson Young Hong-Tsu therefore believes that the establishment of a partnership between the TTSB and MPB for joint operations will push Taiwan forward into becoming a paradigm for ensuring a safe operating environment among the marine nations of the world. MPB Director-General Yeh Hsieh-Lung also mentioned at the ceremony that, in the future, the MPB will in accordance with the vision of “human-oriented transportation” proposed by Minister Lin Chia-Lung and the goals of resource sharing and technology-enabled disaster mitigation highlighted at today’s event engage in the cultivation of maritime safety talents together with TTSB. The two parties will furthermore jointly seek to enhance the quality of maritime investigation technologies and provide Automatic Identification System (AIS) data so that, following the establishment of a smart navigation safety platform, related data on maritime events can be compiled for big data analysis and interfaced with the TTSB system. Through continuous reinforcement of maritime and port safety, the MPB and TTSB aim to jointly achieve the ultimate goal of enhancing safety at sea.