China has commissioned its newest and largest naval supply ship as the country tries to beef up its capacity to protect its maritime interests. The Type 901 replenishment vessel – which helps supply naval ships with oil, ammunition, food and water – was seen at a port in Zhanjiang, Guangdong province on 31 July 2017 bearing the number 965, indicating it has been commissioned into the PLA Navy. The new supply ship has almost double the displacement tonnage of the Type 903 supply ships currently being used for escort and anti-piracy missions off Somalia.

中国试图加强维护海洋利益的能力，服役其最新最大的海军补给舰。 2017年7月31日在广东省湛江的一个港口看到了901型补给舰，帮助海军舰艇提供油料，弹药，食物和水，弦号965，表示已经进入了中国人民解放军海军服役。 新的补给舰在排水量吨位上几乎是目前用于索马里的护航和反海盗任务的903型补给舰的两倍。

 

China’s ambitious program to build more capable ocean-going fleet replenishment vessels is too often overlooked. In recent years, new units of the Type-903 (plus the improved 903A variant) replenishment vessels have entered service. An even more capable successor, touted the Type-901, which is said to displace some 40-45,000 tons (just slightly smaller than the new carrier itself), was at an advanced stage of construction.

中国建设更有能力的远洋船队补给舰的雄心勃勃的计划往往被忽视。 近年来，903型（加上903A型改装）补充舰的新单位已进入服役。 一个更有能力的继任者，炒作的901型，据称排水量40-45,000吨（略低于新航空母舰本身），处于建造的高级阶段。

 

The class designator for the ship appeared to be Type 901. Details were initially limited, but the ship's estimated dimensions are a displacement of 40,000-45,000 tonnes and a beam of 31.5 m. Although photographs - shown on the cjdby.net website, for example - had only just emerged, the ship was at an advanced state of construction and a launch in early 2016 seemed probable.

对该级舰艇看起来命名为901型，详细资料目前有限，但船舶估计尺寸为40,000-45,000吨的排水量，舰宽31.5米。 虽然例如在cjdby.net网站上显示的照片刚刚出现，但是这艘船处于高级建造状态，并在2016年初似乎很可能下水。

 

The photos showed the largely completed hull of the ship docked side-by-side with a similar-sized Type 903A, also known as the "Qiandaohu-class" replenishment ship, with a light displacement of 23,000 tonnes. The new ship appears to be a modified 903A with many different design features.

照片显示船舶大部分完成船体与同类型的903A型并排停靠，也称为“千岛湖级”补给舰，具有较轻排水量为23,000吨。新舰似乎是一个903A型改进采用许多不同的设计特点。

 

China since 2008 began to develop large-scale comprehensive supply ship and rapid combat support ship. The new 40,000-ton comprehensive supply ship has been started in 2013 construction, and 50,000-ton fast combat support ship also started construction in 2014 to 2015. It is reported that China's new generation of large-scale comprehensive supply ship and fast combat support ship with a new power system, equipped with China's own development of a new generation of integrated supply system, will provide a comprehensive combat capability comparable with the US military.

中国自2008年开始发展大型综合补给舰和快速战斗支援舰。新建造的4万吨综合补给舰已于2013年开工建造，5万吨快速作战支援舰也于2014年至2015年开工建造。据悉，中国新一代大型综合补给舰和快速战斗支援舰配备新一代电力系统，配备中国自主研发的新一代综合供电系统，将提供与美军相当的综合作战能力。

 

The two-level ship can be used as a one-stop logistics center for aircraft carrier formation, capable of receiving, storing, delivering fuel, ammunition, dry goods and other supplies, with the ability to receive directly from the base and re-supply from the ship. It is said that the large-scale comprehensive supply ship will play the role of large-scale oil tanker and comprehensive supply vessel in our Navy. The rapid combat support ship is mainly for our aircraft carrier battle group service. In the next few years, with the new generation of large-scale comprehensive supply ship And fast combat support ships have been serving, China's offshore combat capability will see an unprecedented increase.

双层船舶可用作航空母舰编队的一站式后勤中心，能够接收，存储，运送燃料，弹药，干货和其他物资，具有直接从基地接收和补给船舶能力。据说大型综合供应船将在中国海军发挥大型油轮和综合补给舰的作用。快速作战支援舰主要用于中国航空母舰战斗群服务。在未来几年，随着新一代大型综合补给舰和快速作战支援舰已经服役，中国的海上作战能力将呈现前所未有的提高。

Type 901 Comprehensive Supply Ship
901型综合补给舰

 

The Chinese Navy has accepted the first in a class of fast, giant resupply ships that will refuel, resupply, and rearm its aircraft carriers and destroyers on the high seas. The Type 901 class was built at the Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI) Longxue. Thirty-one-and-a-half meters wide and over 200 meters long, the first Type 901 class supply ship woulf have a full displacement of around 40,000-45,000 tons. That's a similar size to the US Navy's 49,000-ton Supply class replenishment ships, which can carry over 17,000 tons of jet and ship fuel, and 1950 tons of ammunition.

中国海军已经接收了一批快速，巨型补给舰，将在公海上为其航空母舰和驱逐舰加油，补给和重新装备。 901型在广州广船国际股份有限公司（GSI）龙穴（Longxue）造船有限公司建造。31.5米宽，舰长二百多米的第一批901型补给舰，全部排水量约四万至四万五千吨。这与美国海军的4.9万吨补给级的补给舰相似，可以运载17000吨飞机和船舶燃料，以及1950吨弹药。

 

The Type 901 is thought to have 4 gas turbine engines, which would give it a top speed of around 25 knots, enabling it to keep pace with Chinese aircraft carriers like the Liaoning. It will have up to five resupply gantries located midship, each of which can deploy palletized ammunition and supplies via cables, or fuel lines. This will allow the Type 901 to replenish multiple warships simultaneously while under sail, a key capability for modern navies. It will also be able to operate helicopters and drones from its helipad and hangar. While not a combat ship, it is expected, like US Navy ships, to carry some weapons for self-defense, most likely 30mm auto-cannons used in an air defense, anti-missile role.

901型被认为拥有4台燃气轮机，最高速度可达25节，901型被认为拥有4台燃气轮机，最高速度可达25节，使其能够跟上中国航空母舰，如辽宁号。它将有多达五个补给龙门架位于船中，每个可以通过电缆或燃油管线调度托运的弹药和物资。这将允许901型在航行时同时补给多艘军舰，这是现代海军的关键能力。它也可以从其直升机停机坪和机库操作直升机和无人机。虽然不是一艘战舰，但像美国海军舰艇一样，预计会携带一些武器进行自卫，最有可能30mm自动炮用于防空，反导作用。

 

The Type 901 will offer a great leap in capacity over the current 25,000-ton Type 903A Qiandaohu, of which the PLAN has eight. The Type 901's larger supply carrying capacity means that it can refuel and rearm Chinese warships, including destroyers and carriers, in combat operations far from the Chinese mainland. Also, its larger size gives the Type 901 a greater range than its predecessor, thus reducing the need for foreign facilities to refuel and replenish, both for the Type 901 and the warships it supports. While China's interest in building long-range carriers, destroyers and submarines and leasing foreign bases (like Djibouti) are getting a lot of attention, Beijing is also clearly at work solving the logistics challenges needed to make the PLAN a true global power.

901型将在目前的2.5万吨903A千岛湖上提供巨大的飞跃，中国海军已有八艘。901型的大的补给容量意味着它可以对中国军舰加油和补给，包括驱逐舰和航母的作战行动中，在远离中国大陆地方。此外，它的大尺寸使901型比它的前身更大的航程，从而减少了外国设施进行燃料补给和补给的需要，无论是对于901型还是它支援的军舰。而中国在建造远航程航空母舰，驱逐舰和潜艇和租赁外国基地（如吉布提）得到了很多的关注，但北京也很明显地在解决物流挑战，使中国海军成为真正的全球力量。

 

The new Type 901 replenishment ship began sea trials on 18 December 2016, according to Chinese media. The 45,000-tonne vessel, which was built at Guangzhou Shipyard International's Longxue shipyard on the Pearl River, was expected to provide logistics support to the PLAN's carrier force. Imagery of the ship's construction emerged in late 2015, before it was launched on 15 December 2015.

据中国媒体报道，新的901型补给舰将于2016年12月18日开始试航。45000吨的船只，在珠江（Pearl River）上的广州广船国际股份有限公司（GSI）龙穴（Longxue）造船有限公司建造，预计将提供后勤支援中国海军的航母力量。该舰建造的图片出现在2015年底，这在2015年12月15日下水之前。

 

The vessel is equipped with three gantries and a fourth high-point structure port side aft, configured with five hose rigs for liquid refuelling on the port side and four on the starboard side. The central gantry provides a transfer station for solids on each side.

该舰配备了三个龙门起重架和第四个高点结构位于左舷船尾。此外，左舷配置了五套可输送液体燃料的软管设备，右舷则配置了四套。中央龙门起重架用于船上固体物资的调度。

 

From official photos released 24 Mrch 2017 it can be seen that the second 901-type supply ship, which was reported in January 2017, had been hoisting. This led to speculation that it will be launched within six months. The 901-type high-speed supply ship is specialized in the aircraft carrier formation of the new supply ship, currently only the two countries have built similar ships.

从2017年3月24日官方发布的第二艘901型补给舰照片可以看出，这是2017年1月报道，已吊装。这使得人们猜测它将在六个月内下水。901型高速补给舰是专门从事航母编队的新型补给舰，目前只有两个国家建造了类似的船舶。