Taipei: Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan on Tuesday approved a bill paving the way for the establishment of a national ocean technology operations center. The new center will be tasked with conducting oceanographic surveys, developing experimental marine technologies, and managing the operation of Taiwan’s national marine research fleet, according to the bill, which passed its third reading without opposition.

According to Focus Taiwan, the bill also gives the Ocean Affairs Council-supervised (OAC) body responsibility for specialized infrastructure, including a ship model testing lab, in addition to training and developing marine technology professionals. In a statement on Tuesday, the OAC said that the under-construction ship model testing laboratory’s main structure is expected to be completed by 2027. Several new research vessels under the center’s management are also scheduled to be delivered in 2027, the OAC added.