In 2017, the Executive Yuan approved the establishment of the Marine Technology Industrial Innovation Zone in Singda Harbor. It is one of the green energy infrastructures of the Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program and includes the Marine Technology Engineering Training and Accreditation Center, the Innovation R&D Center of Marine Technology Industry, and the Marine Innovation R&D and Certification Center of Marine Technology. The construction commencement ceremony is scheduled to be held in the Innovation Zone on May 31, 2019. At that time, distinguished guests from the Office of the President, the Executive Yuan, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, and the Kaohsiung City Government will offer incense for blessings and break the ground with shovels to mark the commencement in hopes of establishing the world's most advanced marine technology talent, material development and certification, and industrial innovation R&D base.
Dr. Chiu-Feng Lin, President of MIRDC (Metal Industries Research & Development Centre), pointed out that Singda Harbor has good weather conditions and a small tidal range; the facilities of the harbor are comprehensive and most of the land behind the terminal is undeveloped. Thus, the area has potential and is suitable for the development of marine related industries. Also, since the domestic offshore wind industry is in its infancy, there is insufficient talent for the industry; thus, the development of bases for cutting-edge marine technology talent training and marine industry innovation R&D is suitable for further promoting the development of the overall marine technology industry. In 2018, a comprehensive talent training system was built in cooperation with international giant Maersk Training. Recently, personnel were sent to the United Kingdom to take the Global Wind Organization (GWO) course. It is expected that the GWO course will be available from the end of August 2019. The center will mainly offer new and customized courses in the future to create the most complete talent training center in Asia.
Moreover, the Innovation R&D Center of Marine Technology Industry, combined with domestic precision machinery and semiconductor and ICT technology, can be applied to vessels and underwater vehicles and can serve wind power, yacht, marine engineering, and marine aquaculture industries in the future. By establishing the underwater structure operation and maintenance and the indigenous technology of the marine technology industry, the promotion of industry, academic and research collaboration and exchange will continue in order to drive emerging industries. The Marine Innovation R&D and Certification Center of Marine Technology aims to create an underwater pressure simulation test lab and a marine engineering materials test lab to build a new material properties database and a risk model knowledge base for the gap in advanced materials testing and certification to strengthen the application and protection of marine engineering and offshore wind in harsh environments.
The proper utilization of Singda Harbor is needed to actively link with the local industry, especially during the introduction of diversification into the fishing port with offshore wind technology, and simultaneously link with the local advantage of the fishery industry to introduce or upgrade the technical capabilities, bring cross-discipline integration into full play, link internationally, and acquire successful global experiences to drive Taiwan's local or traditional industries to move toward higher value and technology, and thus accelerate the development of Taiwan's marine industry.