TAIPEI: A heavy-lift vessel belonging to Chinese state-owned ZPMC is reported to have been chartered by the Taiwanese government to transport construction materials to a $100m new port that it is building on the island of Tai Ping (also known as Itu Aba) in the South China Sea.
The use of the vessel came about when it became apparent that no shipping company in Taiwan could provide sufficient capacity to move the large caissons needed to erect the main piers of the port, which is due to open late 2015.
Since China claims sovereignty of both Tai Ping and Taiwan the use of a state-run Chinese firm to move the materials is unprecedented.
China eventually hopes to regain control of both the Spratly islands and Taiwan, which analysts believe was the reason why it allowed one of its own companies to move the construction materials. It is not viewed as a step towards closer cooperation between the two states.
