Kaohsiung, Oct. 17 (CNA) President Chen Shui-bian presided over a christening and launch ceremony in the southern port city of Kaohsiung for a locally-built missile frigate for the Republic of China Navy Thursday.
Addressing the ceremony, Chen said the launch of the new warship, christened the "Tientan," marks further progress in the implementation of the government's defense self-sufficiency policy.
The "Tientan" is the eighth and final Chengkung-class frigate built by the state-owned China Shipbuilding Corp. (CSBC) under the Navy's Kuanghua No. 1 warship building project.
In his speech, Chen lauded the Navy and the CSBC for their efforts toward substantiating the defense self-sufficiency policy. "It is our established policy to have our naval ships built by domestic shipbuilders," he added.
With a displacement of 4,100 tons, the "Tientan" has a length of 153 meters and a width of 25.4 meters. It can navigate up to 4,500 nautical miles at a maximum speed of more than 29 knots.
The Navy commissioned the CSBC to build eight Chengkung-class frigates under the Kuanghua No. 1 project in 1990. The Chengkung-class frigate is patterned after the U.S. Perry-class warship. Seven of the Chengkung-class frigates have been commissioned into service over the past decade.
Following the "Tientan" launch ceremony, President Chen attended events marking the 55th founding anniversary of the Chinese Naval Academy in Tsoying, Kaohsiung County.
Chen encouraged all academy cadets to study hard in preparation for future service in one of the various naval units and aboard the country's advanced warships. He then had lunch together with all the academy staff and students.