Type 920 hospital ship

Lead ship of the class, Daishan Dao (Peace Ark)
Class overview
Builders	Guangzhou Shipyard International
Operators	People's Liberation Army Navy
In service	2008–present
Building	1
Completed	2
Active	2
General characteristics
Type	Hospital ship
Displacement	25,760 tons (full) [1] [2]
Length	590.5 ft (180.0 m)(full) [1] [2]
Speed	19 kn (35 km/h; 22 mph) [1] [2]
Range	10,000 nmi (19,000 km; 12,000 mi) [1] [2]
Complement	Basic: 130 [1] [2] [3] Full: 440 [3]
Aviation facilities	Hangar [3] Helicopter pad [3]

The Type 920 hospital ship (NATO reporting name: Anwei) is a class of hospital ship operated by the People's Liberation Army Navy of China. ^[4]

History

Daishan Dao (or Peace Ark), ^[5] the lead ship, commissioned in 2008, ^[1] was the "center of China's maritime global health engagements" ^[6] and an " enduring feature of China’s naval diplomacy" from 2010. ^[7]

Silk Road Ark performed its first medical mission in 2024. ^[8]

Characteristics

Peace Ark (front) and USNS Mercy sailing side by side.

Up to 2024, Daishan Dao was reported to have 300 beds, 20 ICU beds, 8 operating theatres, and can perform 40 major surgeries a day, in addition to X-ray, ultrasound, computerized tomography, hypothermia, hemodialysis, traditional Chinese medicine, and dental facilities. ^{[3] [9]} She was also equipped with a remote networking and communications system to allow teleconferencing with doctors and specialists on land. ^[3]

As a hospital ship, Daishan Dao is unarmed except for small arms for self defense. ^[3]

Ships of the class

Name	Hull No.	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Commissioned	Fleet	Status
Daishan Dao (Peace Ark)	866 [1]	Guangzhou Shipyard International [3]			December 2008 [3]	East Sea Fleet [1]	Active [1]
Silk Road Ark [2]	867 [2]				2023 [2]	South Sea Fleet [2]	Active [2]
		Guangzhou Shipyard International		2024 [10] [ better source needed ]			Building

Gallery

• 
  Peace Ark during Rim of the Pacific 2016.
• 
  The computerized tomography (CT) scan aboard the Peace Ark

References

1. Robinson 2025, p. 16.
2. Robinson 2025, p. 18.
3. Mizokami, Kyle (July 23, 2014). "Peace Ark: Onboard China's Hospital Ship". United States Naval Institute.
4. International Institute for Strategic Studies (February 2024). The Military Balance 2024. Routledge. p. 258. ISBN   978-1-032-78004-7.
5. "China People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN): 2024 Recognition and Identification Guide". United States Navy Office of Naval Intelligence. April 2024. Retrieved 28 March 2025.
6. Robinson 2025, pp. 9–11.
7. Robinson 2025, p. 15.
8. 世界新聞網. "絲路方舟號」海軍醫院船起航 前往南海各島礁". 世界新聞網 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved 2024-11-14.
9. "本网专访:"和平方舟"号首要任务是满足战争海上救治_新华军事_新华网". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
10. Luck, Alex (7 January 2025). "Chinese Naval Developments 2024 In Review – Part 2: Submarines, Auxiliaries, Experimental Programs". Naval News.

Sources

• Robinson, Jonathan (10 February 2025). "The PLA Navy's Hospital Ship Fleet: Concerns, Developments, and Future Prospects". China Maritime Report (45). China Maritime Studies Institute.