It makes sense if the pier is used only when outfitting which does not require full draft.
PLAN Fleet supply vessels
- Thread starter delft
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The length is also somewhat different (stated length of 250 meters versus the 901 AOE's length of ~240 meters).
In the meantime, he didn't specify whether the stated length is waterline length or overall length.
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lcloo
Major
For members who cannot read Chinese, it said "Piers that can berth 2 ships of around 250m length, draft of 8m and 40,000 tons specialized ships".
"Work has started".
So work has started to construct 2 piers that can berth ships of 40,000 tons displacement.
Location, Longxue island, Guangzhou.
Naval News coverage of the fleet replenishment oilers' induction:
Not much new in the article that hasn't already been covered here, but still a good read for overall context because it goes into the production and operational history and of the vessels.
Not much new in the article that hasn't already been covered here, but still a good read for overall context because it goes into the production and operational history and of the vessels.
Not exactly news per se, just another hint/indication by @伏尔戈星图 on Weibo that the construction work on two new fitting-out piers at Guangzhou Longxue, which can accommodate the size of AOEs and AORs, is already underway.
Satellite imagery of said location by Copernicus, taken just today (14 March).
A new replenishment ship is currently under construction at Guangzhou.
According to Janes, the measured dimension of this new ship is ~271 meters long x ~37 meters wide. In comparison, the 901 AOE is only ~241 meters long x ~32 meters wide.
Hence, unlike what Janes has wrongly implied in the article (i.e. this ship is the 3rd 901 AOE) - If this is indeed a replenishment ship, then this ship would be a brand new AOE/AOR class for the PLAN (and also becoming the largest AOE/AOR in the world).
Add-on: The measured dimension of the ship stated in the article does look to be pretty close.
According to Janes, the measured dimension of this new ship is ~271 meters long x ~37 meters wide. In comparison, the 901 AOE is only ~241 meters long x ~32 meters wide.
Hence, unlike what Janes has wrongly implied in the article (i.e. this ship is the 3rd 901 AOE) - If this is indeed a replenishment ship, then this ship would be a brand new AOE/AOR class for the PLAN (and also becoming the largest AOE/AOR in the world).
Add-on: The measured dimension of the ship stated in the article does look to be pretty close.
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If true, this is an interesting development. I always thought that it would be more likely to see a successor to the 903A, likely around the 30-35K ton range, rather than seeing a 901 successor, given there's really only one other class of supply ships in the world that compare to it (Supply-class). Could hint that China intends to form larger CSGs in the coming years for longer distance and duration missions given the lack of overseas bases? Even if it's still relatively close to him.
At this stage my guess is we're looking at a greatly enhanced variant of Type 901. The overall configuration (superstructure foundation blocks, propulsion) appears near identical to Type 901. At the same time it makes sense to include operational experience in an improved version. So it probably isnt a brand new design, but not quite just a mild improvement like with the Type 903 family either.
A successor to both the 903/A and the 901 classes seems reasonable, and a 901 successor/evolution should have always been on the cards, in fact I'm surprised it's taken this long.
Something 901 sized or larger (i.e.: Supply class size or larger) would be expected as more of a CSG oriented AOE.
903/As or something larger in the 30,000t category would be suitable for SAGs, ESGs, and augmenting AOEs in a CSG.
(acronym overload)