NOT-SO-SECRET MISSION:A port official said a new vessel could be tracked on the AIS Web site, while there were reports of deep-sea fishing aboard another warship

Taipei Times
Date:  Oct 21, 2015
By: Jason Pan  /  Staff reporter

Navy Command Headquarters yesterday said that the nation’s warships normally do not use the Automatic Identification System (AIS), except under exceptional conditions, adding that the nation’s newly commissioned Panshih (磐石) supply vessel has now turned off its AIS.

Navy officials made the remarks in response to a port official who said that it is worrying for the nation’s maritime security that ship captains are not aware of the dangers of their vessels’ positions being exposed when conducting missions at sea.

The official, who had retired from the navy and declined to be named, said that he was able to daily follow the nearshore voyage of the Panshih, which sailed from Zuoying Naval Base for the coastal waters around Kaohsiung.

He said he was able to track the AOE 532 Panshih, a fast combat support ship displacing 20,000 tonnes, because it was using AIS, which has an electronic signal to help identify and locate vessels, which allows other ships and port authorities to navigate and regulate marine traffic to avoid collisions.     [FULL  STORY]