Taipei: Shipbuilder CSBC Corp., Taiwan announced that the country's first indigenous defense submarine, the Narwhal, will not meet its September deadline for completing sea acceptance tests.

According to Focus Taiwan, the sea trials for the Narwhal, also known as Hai Kun in Chinese, began in June. However, Navy Chief of Staff Chiu Chun-jung revealed that the submarine is currently moored in a port and still requires a safety assessment before it can undergo surfaced and submerged tests at sea.

Thus far, watertight tests below the waterline and inspections of the submarine's underwater equipment have been completed, Chiu mentioned at a Ministry of National Defense (MND) news conference. During a press briefing, CSBC President Tsai Kun-tsung stated that based on the current progress, completing the sea acceptance trials by September is "impossible."

CSBC Chairman Chen Jeng-horng assured that the company is committed to accelerating the progress of ongoing trials while ensuring safety is not compromised. In response to concerns about the Navy's warning of a potential fine if the submarine is not delivered by November, as per the contract, Tsai pledged that CSBC would make every effort to fulfill its contractual obligations and avoid penalties.

Chiu confirmed that the Navy agrees with CSBC's assessment and stated, "We will work with CSBC Corp., Taiwan to explore how subsequent trials can be safely conducted." In January, the Kuomintang and the Taiwan People's Party froze NT$1 billion (US$33.28 million) allocated to the government's Indigenous Defense Submarine program. This decision came amid reports of technical issues and delays in the Narwhal's trials. The opposition parties stipulated that the funds would only be released once sea trials are completed and the Navy submits a report to the Legislature.