Green Camp Questions Black-Box Operation in Duck Boat Procurement; Keelung Gov't Says No Favoritism
The DPP accused the Keelung City Government of manipulating the procurement of amphibious 'duck boats' to favor a specific vendor. The city government denied the allegations, stating additional budgets are for taxes and infrastructure.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 22, 2026 at 11:53
- 🔍 Collected: April 22, 2026 at 12:01 (8 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 22, 2026 at 12:49 (47 min after Collected)
Central News Agency
(Central News Agency reporter Wang Chao-yu, Keelung, 22nd) The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) questioned today the Keelung City Government's procurement of duck boats, pointing out that during a visit to Japan, a specific vendor was targeted, and the winning bidder ended up introducing the same vehicle model. They suspect the city government engaged in a black-box operation to favor a specific vendor. The city government responded that there is no issue of favoritism in the procurement case.
The city government is procuring two amphibious vehicles with a winning bid amount of NT$49.98 million. When explaining the progress to the city council in March, the city government stated that besides procuring the vehicles, they will legally have to bear tariffs, commodity taxes, and business taxes, estimating these related tax costs at around NT$30 million.
The city government added there is another NT$41 million needed for the launching ramp and onshore facilities. These two sets of expenses are planned to be handled through an additional budget. The duck boats are expected to arrive in Taiwan successively by the end of this year and early next year, with the hope of entering passenger operations by next summer.
Chen Dong-cai, spokesperson for the DPP's Keelung City branch, stated at a morning press conference that during the city government's study trip to Japan, they targeted a specific vendor's products for their visit and deeply studied their operation model. The problem is that after returning, the city government did not conduct a complete, diverse assessment or market comparison. Ultimately, the winning bidder for the procurement introduced a vehicle model from the exact same source, raising suspicions that the procurement was blatantly rigged.
Yu Jui-bo, CEO of the DPP's Keelung City branch, stated he wanted to warn Keelung Mayor Hsieh Kuo-liang that the duck boat procurement not only involves budget inflation and a reversed order of engineering and procurement, but the operational assessments and scheduling have also been repeatedly revised. Although called a 'rolling revision,' in the eyes of the citizens, Hsieh Kuo-liang has absolutely no plan or ideas.
Keelung City Council Speaker Tong Zi-wei stated through text that because the conceptual budget, operational plans, safety of the launching points, and profit-loss analysis for the duck boats are entirely unclear, many councilors raised questions during previous council sessions. The council has resolved that until the direction is confirmed, the city government may not arbitrarily expand manpower or push forward subsequent engineering. For the welfare of the citizens, he will continue to guard the budget.
In response, the city government stated that the increased budget is mainly for paying central government taxes and constructing the dock, and there is no issue of favoritism.
(Central News Agency reporter Wang Chao-yu, Keelung, 22nd) The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) questioned today the Keelung City Government's procurement of duck boats, pointing out that during a visit to Japan, a specific vendor was targeted, and the winning bidder ended up introducing the same vehicle model. They suspect the city government engaged in a black-box operation to favor a specific vendor. The city government responded that there is no issue of favoritism in the procurement case.
The city government is procuring two amphibious vehicles with a winning bid amount of NT$49.98 million. When explaining the progress to the city council in March, the city government stated that besides procuring the vehicles, they will legally have to bear tariffs, commodity taxes, and business taxes, estimating these related tax costs at around NT$30 million.
The city government added there is another NT$41 million needed for the launching ramp and onshore facilities. These two sets of expenses are planned to be handled through an additional budget. The duck boats are expected to arrive in Taiwan successively by the end of this year and early next year, with the hope of entering passenger operations by next summer.
Chen Dong-cai, spokesperson for the DPP's Keelung City branch, stated at a morning press conference that during the city government's study trip to Japan, they targeted a specific vendor's products for their visit and deeply studied their operation model. The problem is that after returning, the city government did not conduct a complete, diverse assessment or market comparison. Ultimately, the winning bidder for the procurement introduced a vehicle model from the exact same source, raising suspicions that the procurement was blatantly rigged.
Yu Jui-bo, CEO of the DPP's Keelung City branch, stated he wanted to warn Keelung Mayor Hsieh Kuo-liang that the duck boat procurement not only involves budget inflation and a reversed order of engineering and procurement, but the operational assessments and scheduling have also been repeatedly revised. Although called a 'rolling revision,' in the eyes of the citizens, Hsieh Kuo-liang has absolutely no plan or ideas.
Keelung City Council Speaker Tong Zi-wei stated through text that because the conceptual budget, operational plans, safety of the launching points, and profit-loss analysis for the duck boats are entirely unclear, many councilors raised questions during previous council sessions. The council has resolved that until the direction is confirmed, the city government may not arbitrarily expand manpower or push forward subsequent engineering. For the welfare of the citizens, he will continue to guard the budget.
In response, the city government stated that the increased budget is mainly for paying central government taxes and constructing the dock, and there is no issue of favoritism.