Type 631 tanker

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]}

Class overview
Name	Type 631
Operators	People's Liberation Army Navy
Completed	6
Active	6
General characteristics
Displacement	2,300 long tons (2,300 t)
Length	60 m (196 ft 10 in)
Beam	10 m (32 ft 10 in)
Draught	3.3 m (10 ft 10 in)
Propulsion	2 × marine diesel engines, 7,200 hp (5,369 kW) 2 shafts
Speed	10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement	30
Sensors and processing systems	Navigation radar
Electronic warfare & decoys	None
Armament	None
Armour	None
Aircraft carried	None
Aviation facilities	None

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]}

• Displacement: 2,300 long tons (2,300 t)
• Length: 60 m (196 ft 10 in)
• Beam: 10 m (32 ft 10 in)
• Draft: 3.3 m (10 ft 10 in)
• Propulsion: 2 marine diesel engines @ 7,200 hp (5,400 kW) 2 shafts
• Speed: 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
• Complement: 30

Type	NATO designation	Pennant No.	Name (English)	Name (Han 中文)	Commissioned	Displacement	Fleet	Status
Type 631 transport oil tanker (AOT)	Fuchang class	Bei-You 565	North Oil 565	北油 565	?	? t	North Sea Fleets	Active
		Dong-You 631	East Oil 631	东油 631	?	? t	East Sea Fleet	Active
		Dong-You 641	East Oil 641	东油 641	?	? t	East Sea Fleet	Active
		Nan-You 957	South Oil 957	南油 957	?	? t	South Sea Fleet	Active
		Nan-You 959	South Oil 959	南油 959	?	? t	South Sea Fleet	Active
		Nan-You 973	South Oil 973	南油 973	?	? t	South Sea Fleet	Active

References

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