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Type 637 tanker is a type of naval auxiliary ship currently in service with the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN).[1] Originally designed as a type that is capable of transport both water and oil, these ships entered civilian service from 1981 onward, followed by military service, with the oiler version entered service with PLAN first (as of 2015).[1]Type 637 tanker has received NATO reporting name Fuxiao class.[2][3][4]
| History | |
|---|---|
 PRC | |
| Status | Active |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Tanker |
| Displacement | 1,400 long tons (1,400 t) |
| Length | 54 m (177 ft 2 in) |
| Beam | 8 m (26 ft 3 in) |
| Draught | 3.5 m (11 ft 6 in) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) |
| Complement | 35 |
| Sensors and processing systems | Navigation radar |
| Electronic warfare & decoys | None |
| Aircraft carried | None |
| Aviation facilities | None |
Type 637 tankers in PLAN service are designated by a combination of two Chinese characters followed by 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. A unique visual cue that makes Type 637 readily identifiable and distinguished from other Chinese oilers is that its hull is strengthened with additional strips of metal that stretched along the freeboard. Type 637 oiler is capable of carrying three hundred tons of oil.[1]
| Type | NATO designation | Pennant No. | Name (English) |
Name (Han 中文) |
Commissioned | Displacement | Fleet | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type 637 transport oil tanker (AOT) | Fuxiao class | Bei-You 567 | North Oil 567 | 北油 567 | ? | 1400 t | North Sea Fleet | Active |
| Dong-You 637 | East Oil 637 | 东油 637 | ? | 1400 t | North Sea Fleet | Active | ||
| Various | Various | Various | ? | 1400 t | ? | Under construction | ||
| Type 637 water tanker (AWT) | Various | Various | ? | ? | 1400 t | ? | Under construction |
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