Taipei: The Legislative Yuan has approved amendments to four acts concerning ships, ports, meteorological facilities, and telecommunications. This legislative move follows the Executive Yuan’s initiative to update Taiwan’s “seven undersea-cable laws.”

According to Focus Taiwan, the amendments target the Law of Ships, Meteorological Act, Telecommunications Management Act, and Commercial Port Law. These changes aim to enhance the security of submarine cables, which are crucial to national security and vulnerable to damage. The Law of Ships now mandates that both Taiwanese and certain foreign vessels within Taiwan’s territorial and prohibited waters must operate their automatic identification systems properly, ensuring accurate transmission of vessel identification data.

The updated legislation requires Taiwanese vessels to transmit names, International Maritime Organization (IMO) numbers, Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) codes, and call signs accurately. Foreign vessels in these waters must also display names and IMO numbers visibly on their hulls, without alteration. Vessels over 150 gross tonnage must keep detailed navigation logs. Violations of these provisions could lead to fines between NT$30,000 and NT$10 million for ship owners or captains.

Amendments to the Meteorological Act include penalties for damaging meteorological facilities, punishable by up to six months in prison or fines up to NT$2 million. The act allows for the confiscation of equipment involved in these offenses. Similarly, the Telecommunications Management Act now permits the confiscation of tools used to harm undersea cable infrastructure.

The revised Commercial Port Law enables authorities to order vessels obstructing port operations to leave within three months. Non-compliance may result in vessel confiscation. Foreign merchant vessels with registration discrepancies may also be confiscated if issues are not resolved within the stipulated time frame.