Karmin International

Karmin International is a Taiwanese boatbuilding company specializing in the design of high speed rigid inflatable boats.

Karmin International M109 assault boat alongside a Coast Guard Administration patrol boat

History

Karmin International was founded in 1988 as Pro Ocean Yacht and originally focused on producing recreational fishing boats; however, strong demand from the Taiwanese Coast Guard caused them to focus on rigid inflatable boats.^[1]

In 2020 Karmin won a NT$450-million (US$14.9-million) Taiwanese Navy contract for 18 special operations boats and 8 tenders for the Cheng Kung-class frigates.^[2]

In 2021 Karmin began delivery of a new class of 11m assault RIB to the ROC Marines. It is designated the M109 fast assault boat in ROCMC service and features a thermal imaging system produced by Kolead Aerospace.^[3]

Karmin has assisted a team from National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) in constructing a human powered submarine.^[4]

Customers

Karmin has supplied boats to the Taiwanese Navy and Coast Guard, as well as export customers,^[2] including the Republic of the Marshall Islands,^[5] Palau, Nauru, and Tuvalu.^[6]

Products

• K85 assault boat^[7]
• K92 assault boat^[8]
• M109 assault boat^[9][3]

See also

• Defense industry of Taiwan