So this is what a Mulberry, temporary portable harbour (link) looks like. Of course, having a civilian Ro-Ro STUFT-ed (Ships Taken Up From Trade) in the background is really icing on the cake. The question of why the PLA would require such a temporary harbor, say 110 kilometers east of Fujian, your guess is as good as mine.
STUFT (Ships Taken Up From Trade) of the day: Zhang DaLong
SinoTrans CSC “Zhang DaLong” RORO weighting in 20,000 tons, just demonstrated
it can deliver 2 fully armed PLA Army battalion battle-groups –
including Type99A MBT – at open sea. Is there any more questions
regarding the existence of a Chinese STUFT program?
PLA’s STUFT (Ships Taken Up From Trade) capacity in a North Korean crisis
While it is fashionable to cite the PLNA having the “capable of
sea-lifting only one infantry division” (TM), but without the PLAN, the
PLA can draw upon its own organic amphibious warfare assets, which is
enormous in its own right. Furthermore, the CMC also has a long
tradition of STUFT-ing civil assets in a crisis.
When-and-if the PLA is able to secure a beachhead near the plain of
Pyonyang, undoubtedly they will use captured ports to send supply and
reinforcement from Dailian, Yantai and Shanghai. Distance between
Pyongyang and Dalian 224 miles across the Yellow Sea.
Here is a look at China’s STUFT (Ships Taken Up From Trade) capacity as of 2012.
– Bohai Ferry Fleet. 11x Ropax liners with 1400-1600 passengers + 200+
vehicle spaces each. That is 22,000 vehicles and 28,000 troops.
– State owned CSC-sinotrans has 27 Ro-ROs
http://www.sinotrans-csc.com/art/2016/9/30/art_12507_221252.html
Jinling Shipyard has to date delivered 27 RORO ships of various types.
It was awarded the project for the 16,000-ton RORO ships, further
consolidating its advantageous position in the global RORO ship building
sector, and indicating the acknowledgment by the ship-owner of the
Jinling RORO brand for its fully guaranteed timely ship delivery. At
present, Jinling Shipyard is has received the contracts for and is in
the process of building 10 RORO ships, which fall into the four series,
i.e., 6700-vehicle, 3800-vechile, 12,00-ton and 16,000-ton ships, with
the ship-owners being internationally renowned big companies.
– Five Ocean going rail ferries.
In short, if the CMC is committed to STUFT its entire Ro-Ro fleet, it
could drop 150,000 troops together with their supply and vehicles in a
single lift.
After Shangyang MR, Jinan MR is also getting STUFT-ed
China Launch Passenger RoRo Ship with Military Capability
PLA Daily
Friday, August 10, 2012China’s largest RoRo ‘Bohai Emerald Bead’ with the longest reach leaves Yantai Port in East China.
Different from ordinary ships, the 36,000 displacement civilian
passenger and roll-on/roll-off ship was constructed in accordance with
national defense requirements in mind in its design and construction so
that it can carry organic troop units and heavy equipment.The 178-meter-long and 28-meter-breadth ship can carry 2,000-plus
persons and be loaded with over 300 vehicles of various sizes
simultaneously.The “Bohai Emerald Bead” is the first ship of its kind to be built in
China, and there are three more of the same design under construction.According to Rong Xianwen, director of the Military Transportation
Department under the Jinan Military Area Command (MAC) of the Chinese
People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the passenger and roll-on/roll-off ship
is the most optimal ship type in maritime transportation of military
troops as it possesses the advantages including large transportation
quantity and high loading efficiency.It is not only the means of transportation, but also a temporary
barrack. Such type of ship is often utilized in military operations by
western developed countries.
After Shangyang MR, Jinan MR is also getting STUFT-ed
China Launch Passenger RoRo Ship with Military Capability
PLA Daily
Friday, August 10, 2012China’s largest RoRo ‘Bohai Emerald Bead’ with the longest reach leaves Yantai Port in East China.
Different from ordinary ships, the 36,000 displacement civilian
passenger and roll-on/roll-off ship was constructed in accordance with
national defense requirements in mind in its design and construction so
that it can carry organic troop units and heavy equipment.The 178-meter-long and 28-meter-breadth ship can carry 2,000-plus
persons and be loaded with over 300 vehicles of various sizes
simultaneously.The “Bohai Emerald Bead” is the first ship of its kind to be built in
China, and there are three more of the same design under construction.According to Rong Xianwen, director of the Military Transportation
Department under the Jinan Military Area Command (MAC) of the Chinese
People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the passenger and roll-on/roll-off ship
is the most optimal ship type in maritime transportation of military
troops as it possesses the advantages including large transportation
quantity and high loading efficiency.It is not only the means of transportation, but also a temporary
barrack. Such type of ship is often utilized in military operations by
western developed countries.
STUFT-ed, Chinese Style.
According to the Chinese edition report of the same (here), the China Army will STUFT (Ship Taken Up From Trade) a total of four large size Ro-Ro ships under the command of the Shenyang MR.
Advanced passenger ro-ro ship commissioned in Shenyang MAC
http://eng.chinamil.com.cn/news-channels/photo-reports/2012-01/19/content_4772483.htm
(Source: China Military Online) 2012-01-19The “Qingshandao” large-scale passenger ro-ro ship (China Military Online/Chen Li and Du Mingjun)
Escorted by related personnel of the military representative office of
navigation affairs under the Shenyang Military Area Command (MAC) of the
Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and the Passenger Ship Co., Ltd
of the China Shipping Co., the 23,000-ton “Qingshandao” large-scale
passenger ro-ro ship smoothly arrived at the Dalian Port from the
Guangzhou Shipyard on Jan. 12, 2012. The commission of this most
advanced ship lays a solid foundation for improving the maritime strategic projection capability of the Chinese Navy.(China Military Online/Chen Li and Du Mingjun)Editor:Zhang Qingxia
Of course, all those news release could be part of a Communist
propaganda attempt to deceit — China, as a nation, still only capably
of sea-lifting one division at a time. Don’t believe me? See this
official US government report.
“China Naval Modernziation: Implications for U.S. Navy
Capabilities — Background and Issues for Congress released by the US
government.
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/128334.pdfChange in Amphibious Lift Capability Since 2000 Although China in recent
years has deployed new amphibious ships and craft, DOD states that
“PLA air and amphibious lift capacity has not improved appreciably
since 2000 when the Department of Defense assessed the PLA as capable
of sealift of one infantry division.”“As China’s capabilities for local and regional operations have
increased in certain areas since 2000, a number of limitations appear to
have persisted. The PLA has developed new doctrine for joint
warfighting and implemented organizational changes, such as including
service commanders on the Central Military Commission, to facilitate the
transition to a more “joint” force. However, joint integration still
lags. Similarly, PLA air and amphibious lift capacity has not improved
appreciably since 2000 when the Department of Defense assessed the PLA
as capable of sealift of one infantry division. Likewise, China’s
current ability to deliver about 5,000 parachutists in a single lift
(less if equipment is carried at the same time) is similar to previous
assessments. China’s at-sea replenishment has improved with experience
since 2000, but the PLA Navy today remains limited by a small number of
support vessels – much as it did then. In 2000, the Department of
Defense projected aerial refueling as an operational capability by 2005.
Today, while China has a few aerial refueling aircraft, it does not
have the number of tankers, properly equipped combat aircraft, or
sufficient training to employ this capability for power projection.”
Previous blog entry:
The COSCO (China Ocean Shipping Company) “Spirit”
The
first “China design and build” Roll-on/Roll-off (RoRo) vehicle
carrier launched on June 24, 2009 at Zhoushan shipyard marking a major
advance in China’s building capability.The COSCO (China Ocean Shipping Company) “Spirit” 中远盛世 has a fully
loaded displacement of 14,500 tons, capable of carrying 5000 vehicles
with a design speed of 20 knots. Its dimensions are: 182.8 meters in
length, 32.2 meters in width and 34 meters high. It has a total of 9
stationary and 3 adjustable decks to accommodate vehicles of different
heights. Just like other modern RoRo’s, the COSCO Spirit is fully
automated and allows for single-crew-piloting.COSCO cited the increase in automobile imports as the sole reason to
build such a fleet and indeed in January, China surpassed the US as the
world’s largest car market. (Here)
But the RoRo carrier can press into military service and is generally
considered a national security asset according to the August 2006
report “The Role of United States’ Commercial Shipping Industry in
Military Sealift” presented by the US DOD due to its capability to load
and offload large volumes of vehicles in repetition. US civilian
RoRo fleets under the US Transportation Command were credited as a
necessary strategic asset during the recent gulf war as cited by the
same report.The RoRo carrier also played an important support role for the Royal
Navy during the 1982 Falklands War by ferrying 4000 troops to the
remote island battlefield. Today one of the Royal Navy’s auxiliary
training ships, the HMS Argus, was also converted to a RoRo carrier.Additional RoRo carriers will augment the PLA’s transport capabilities
especially in situations where large numbers of Armored Fighting
Vehicles (AFV) are needed. At the same time, one must be careful not to
view it as an amphibious asset for operations directed at “a
run-a-way island,” err, I mean “an investment partner” as RoRo
carriers require a secure and undamaged deep seaport in order to
offload.Photos of COSCO “Spirit” with primer gray and a top deck that can accommodate helicopter operations.
It looks similar to the French Navy’s amphibious assault ship Mistral (L9013)
Previous RoRo with imported designs are painted red such as the smaller Changjilong which launched in Sept 08, 2008
Other RoRo currently in civilian service
CCTV Reported a military exercise involving Yue Hai Tie 2, a railroad car RoRo, pressed into military service in Hainan Island.