Photographs posted in online forums indicate that a second Type 901 fast replenishment ship has completed sea trials and entered service with China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN).
Images recently emerged showing newly commissioned Type 901 fast replenishment ship Chagan Hu (967) with a recently commissioned Type 927 acoustic surveillance ship (780) berthed alongside. (Via Sina Weibo)
Although no official announcement has been made and no reports by state-owned media have been published about it, unverified internet sources suggest that the commissioning took place in late December 2018.
The imagery shows that the ship, which is believed to have been named Chagan Hu , bears the pennant number 967.
The 240 m-long vessel, which has a beam of 31 m and an estimated full-load displacement of 45,000 tonnes, was launched in in the first half of 2017at the Guangzhou Shipbuilding International (GSI) yard on Longxue Island on the Pearl River.
First-of-class Hulun Hu (with pennant number 965), entered service with the PLAN in September 2017.
The Type 901 class is estimated to be capable of reaching a speed of 25 kt. Its primary role is assessed to be supporting the PLAN’s increasing number of aircraft carriers.
The class features five liquid transfer stations (three on the port side and two on the starboard) for replenishing fuel oil and aviation fuel, and two solid supply transfer rigs for replenishing food, armaments, and general stores.
The ships are also equipped for refuelling astern – a procedure that the PLAN appears to practise regularly – and have a large flight deck and hangar facilities for two helicopters (at present most likely to be Z-8 medium-lift helicopters), which would enable them to also undertake vertical replenishment.
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