Taichung, Jan. 3 (CNA) The Offshore Wind Farms Channel Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) Center was inaugurated Saturday at the Port of Taichung to strengthen maritime traffic safety around offshore wind farms, according to the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC).
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Transportation Minister Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) said as Taiwan accelerates the development of offshore wind energy, it must also expand its maritime traffic monitoring capabilities.
Chen said Taiwan started from scratch in offshore wind energy development, but has since become one of the world's top five developers. He also underscored the need for continued improvements in vessel traffic monitoring.
Chen added that artificial intelligence will be used at the center in the future to automatically detect maritime traffic anomalies, helping protect both vessels and wind turbines.
Yeh Hsieh-lung (葉協隆), head of the Marine and Port Bureau, said the inauguration of the VTS center has expanded the monitoring area from 673 square kilometers to about 4,000 square kilometers.
Yeh said the center will track vessel movement in real time, communicate directly with ships through radio and automatic identification systems (AIS), serve as a coordination platform for commercial and fishing vessels, and issue automatic alerts when irregular activity is detected.
To enhance operational resilience, the facility is equipped with an uninterrupted power supply system and dual network systems, and has completed integration with major offshore wind farm monitoring systems in neighboring Changhua County, Yeh said.
He added that the construction of four radar stations linked to the center is scheduled to be completed by 2027, when they will become fully operational.
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰), who also attended the ceremony, said the new center, together with Taiwan's ongoing offshore wind development, will help the country meet international standards.
In a Facebook post, Cho said the center marked a new milestone in Taiwan's energy management, smart governance, and maritime safety, noting that around 30,000 vessels pass through offshore wind farm areas in Changhua each year, making safety a top priority.
According to Cho, Taiwan's installed offshore wind power capacity reached 3.5 gigawatts by the end of 2025.
