The maritime industries of Taiwan are a large part of Taiwan's economy. Industries of particular importance are shipbuilding, boat building, maritime transport, aquaculture, mariculture, commercial fishing, seafood processing, offshore wind power and various forms of tourism. Deep sea mining, especially of dormant hydrothermal vents, is also being considered for the future. In 2018 Taiwan was the fourth largest yacht building nation. Taiwan is home to a number of maritime museums and maritime colleges.
Background
Taiwan is an island nation and as such has an intimate relationship with the sea. Seafarers from Taiwan are believed to have colonized the Ryukyu Islands 30,000 year ago. The indigenous Yami people of Orchid Island are famous for their seafaring skills and most Taiwanese indigenous people practiced some right or ritual related to the sea. Waves of immigrants and conquerors have traveled to Taiwan over the seas from Mainland China, Europe, Japan, and elsewhere. The people of Taiwan are collectively known as the "Children of the Sea.”
The principle goddess of chinese folk religion as practiced in Taiwan is the sea goddess Mazu. Her veneration is particularly popular along Taiwan's east coast.
Geographically Taiwan's relationship with the sea is shaped by its location at the eastern end of the Eurasian landmass. The east coast is under the influence of the strong Kuroshio Current. The west coast of Taiwan is muddy with large tidal flats, tides in the west are much stronger than those on the east and as such they have a much greater influence on daily routines.
The Ship and Ocean Industries R&D Center (SOIC), founded in 1976 as the United Ship Design and Development Center (USDDC), plays an important role in supporting Taiwan's maritime industries. SOIC works on commercial, government, and military projects as well as basic scientific research. The Yacht Industry Department of SOIC is the only government supported R&D center for yacht materials and design in the world.
Taiwan's maritime culture suffered under the KMT who nationalized the seashore and closed off access to most Taiwanese as well as forbade private recreational boat ownership. This led to an extreme disconnect between the island nation and the waters which surround it. As late as 2010 half of all Taiwanese did not know how to swim. Since the end of the martial law period the Taiwanese people have embarked on a process of re-embracing their maritime culture.
Sea transport
As of 2009 90% of Taiwan's trade was seaborne. Evergreen Marine and Yang Ming Marine Transport Corporation are two major ocean shipping companies based in Taiwan. Wan Hai Lines and Today Makes Tomorrow are smaller but still globally significant ocean shipping companies. In 2016 amid a global downturn in the shipping industry the Taiwanese government spent $1.9B to support the domestic shipping industry.
As of 2019 Taiwan had the 11th largest national shipping capacity by deadweight tons.
Ports
Taiwan's main ports are located in Taipei, Keelung, and Kaohsiung. Most of the nation's large ports are managed by Taiwan International Ports Corporation which is a state-owned enterprise.
Shipbuilding
The modern shipbuilding industry of Taiwan began in 1948 when the Government established the Taiwan Shipbuilding Corporation (TSBC) in Keelung. In 1957 the US based Ingalls Shipbuilding Corporation established the Ingalls Taiwan Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, which subsequently rented the TSBC shipyard and produced 14 vessels between 1957 and 1962. The Government prioritized shipbuilding as one of the core industries of the economy, in 1973 they established the China Shipbuilding Corporation which was merged with TSBC in 1978. In 2008 the ship- and boat-building industry had a production value of 2.09b USD with CSBC accounting for 54% of production, small and medium yards 22% and yacht builders 16%.
As of 2009 there were 116 shipyards (including 34 yacht builders) and 10 marine equipment companies in Taiwan. Major shipyards include CSBC Corporation, Taiwan, Jong Shyn Shipbuilding Company, and Lungteh Shipbuilding. Military and Coast Guard orders make up a large portion of shipbuilders books by dollar value. Between the Taiwanese Navy and the Coast Guard Administration Taiwan spends approximately a billion dollars a year on new vessel construction.