USDDC Reformed to Meet Emerging Ocean Industries

USDDC Reformed to Meet Emerging Ocean Industries

Taiwan is an island surrounded by the ocean and hence is greatly potential with regard to ocean mining and ocean-related industries. To take the geographical advantage as well as to meet the emerging ocean industries, the 30-year-old United Ship Design & Development Center (USDDC) is reformed and renamed as “Ship and Ocean Industries R&D Center (SOIC).” The organization will continue the task refining the ship design and development, and it will also stretch out to marine energy engineering, marine transportation and ocean tourism.

In order to realize the self-reliant capacity of ship design and manufacturing in Taiwan, USDDC was established under the cooperation of Ministry of Economic Affairs and Ministry of Transportation and Communications in 1976, providing the services of ship engineering plan, design, R&D, ship knowledge integration, etc. and supporting the domestic and international development of ship and ocean industries. With the 30-year effort, the organization has already realized the self-reliant design and construction of one merchantman, one passenger steamer, one luxurious yacht and one official ship.

As environment-friendly green energy and marine reusable energy become globally interested issues, the organization needs to extend the scope of service to green power technology, digital ship manufacturing, and other related ocean industries, so the organization has to get reformed as “Ship and Ocean Industries R&D Center” to meet the demand of Taiwan's emerging ocean industries.

SOIC will continue the furthering of refinement of ship design and development, keeping Taiwan's ship industrial advancement. As for the new area of ocean energy and engineering, Ministry of Economic Affairs plans to cope with the government's “Sunrise Program of the Green Energy Industry” (trans. temp.) and focus on certain promising green energy industries such as wind power. SOIC, for instance, can cooperate with the government's offshore wind power system by providing with its experience and integrated knowledge of marine engineering. Besides, the other reusable ocean power applications such as current power, tide power, wave powers, etc. are also the topics SOIC will pay attention to, in order to accelerate Taiwan's total development of ocean power technology. In addition, SOIC will also include the marine transportation, including transportation service and tourism, as its main task, to support the emerging ocean industries in Taiwan.


Reference:
RTI 2012/02/22 (Chinese)