Type 631 tanker

Last updated
Class overview
NameType 631
OperatorsNaval ensign of China.svg  People's Liberation Army Navy
Completed6
Active6
General characteristics
Displacement2,300 long tons (2,300 t)
Length60 m (196 ft 10 in)
Beam10 m (32 ft 10 in)
Draught3.3 m (10 ft 10 in)
Propulsion
  • 2 × marine diesel engines, 7,200 hp (5,369 kW)
  • 2 shafts
Speed10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement30
Sensors and
processing systems		 Navigation radar
Electronic warfare
& decoys		None
ArmamentNone
ArmourNone
Aircraft carriedNone
Aviation facilitiesNone

The Type 631 tanker is a type of naval auxiliary ship currently in service with the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] and has received NATO reporting name Fuchang class. [2] [3] [4] [5] Originally designed as a type that is capable of transport both water and oil, but only the oil tanker version entered service with PLAN (as of early 2020s). [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Type 631 tankers in PLAN service are designated by a combination of two Chinese characters followed by a three-digit number. The second Chinese character is You (油), meaning oil in Chinese, because these ships are classified as oilers. The first Chinese character denotes which fleet the ship is service with, with East (Dong, 东) for East Sea Fleet, North (Bei, 北) for North Sea Fleet, and South (Nan, 南) for South Sea Fleet. However, the pennant numbers are subject to change due to changes of Chinese naval ships naming convention, or when units are transferred to different fleets. Type 631 can be easily distinguished from other transport oilers by its transfer stations amid ship that enables it to carry out underway replenishment missions. [1] Another visual cue of this class is that from the bow to the midsection of the ship, there are three levels of freeboard, while all other Chinese tanker has a smooth curvy transition. [1] Specification: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Type NATO designation Pennant No. Name
(English)		Name
(Han 中文)		 Commissioned DisplacementFleetStatus
Type 631 transport oil tanker (AOT)Fuchang classBei-You 565North Oil 565北油 565 ? ? t North Sea FleetsActive
Dong-You 631East Oil 631东油 631 ? ? t East Sea FleetActive
Dong-You 641East Oil 641东油 641 ? ? t East Sea FleetActive
Nan-You 957South Oil 957南油 957 ? ? t South Sea FleetActive
Nan-You 959South Oil 959南油 959 ? ? t South Sea FleetActive
Nan-You 973South Oil 973南油 973 ? ? t South Sea FleetActive

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Type 631 AOR" . Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "PLANS recognition guide 2018". July 16, 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "PLANS recognition guide 2019". February 19, 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "PLANS recognition guide 2020". February 19, 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "PLANS recognition guide 2015". August 7, 2015.
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