Taiwan maritime authorities launch security sweeps and Pacific patrols

Taiwanese maritime authorities have launched significant enforcement and patrol operations across different maritime zones. In the Matsu Islands, the Coast Guard Administration's 11th Patrol District conducted a two-day intensive sweep involving 221 personnel, 11 patrol boats, and 60 patrol vehicles. This operation targeted smuggling, illegal immigration, and border security. During the two-day period, authorities apprehended one wanted individual and drove away three Chinese vessels that had crossed the border.

Separately, the vessel ‘Xunhu No. 9’ departed from Kaohsiung Port for a 60-day mission to conduct fishery patrols in the Pacific high seas. Working alongside the Ministry of Agriculture's Fisheries Agency, the mission aims to maintain order in the North and Central Pacific waters and ensure the safety of distant-water fishermen. Ocean Affairs Council Chairperson Kan Pi-ling emphasized that these patrols are essential for protecting fishing rights and providing maritime rescue capabilities, noting that international cooperation in search and rescue is a humanitarian responsibility.