Taiwan Tightens Port Visit Requirements for Ships from Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau
Following reports of cable breakage and to strengthen the safety of Taiwan’s waters and key infrastructure, ships from Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau are now required to go through longer port visit application processes to the island. The paperwork is expected to take up to a month per vessel visit. Additionally, ships flying the flags of Cameroon, Tanzania, Mongolia, Togo, and Sierra Leone are also required to fill in extra filings, many of which will be screened by Taiwanese security officials before being passed on to Taiwan’s Maritime and Port Administration.
Similar to incidents in the Baltic, Taiwan has faced multiple attacks on its subsea infrastructure in recent months, primarily from merchant ships dragging their anchors.
In response to these threats, Taiwan blacklisted 52 Chinese-owned ships in January. The National Security Bureau has also stated that ships found to have misreported information in the past will be put on a list for priority inspection at ports.
Furthermore, if these ships enter within 24 nautical miles of Taiwan’s coast and are in close proximity to undersea cables, the coast guard will be dispatched to board them and conduct investigations.
An incident at the end of February highlighted the ease with which a ship can change its identity to evade detection. The Togo-flagged Hongtai 68 was able to change its name multiple times by simply replacing three steel plates on its stern and bow. It has also operated under the names Hongtai 58 and Shanmei 7.
The vessel, dubbed in local media as the ‘thousand faces ship’, had previously been caught entering Taiwan with false documents.