“The Silk Road Ark has the same hull structure and area with the Peace Ark, but it has a larger full-load displacement and stronger endurance than the Peace Ark,” state broadcaster CCTV said, without elaborating.
According to public information, the Peace Ark has a displacement of more than 14,000 tonnes.
“The two hospital ships would meet the navy’s strategic shift from the sole focus of offshore defence to the equal focus of blue-sea defence and near-shore defence, and better serve operational demand and battle readiness,” military expert Zhang Junshe was quoted as saying by the Global Times, a tabloid affiliated with Communist Party mouthpiece People’s Daily.
He said the mission to the South China Sea, which covers Woody Island, also known as Yongxing Island in China, and Fiery Cross Reef, or Yongshu, would lay the foundations for the ship to carry out medical rescue missions in the far seas.
Fiery Cross Reef is one of China’s biggest land reclamation projects in the South China Sea and part of the country’s plans to cement its presence in the strategically important waterway.
Both Woody Island and Fiery Cross Reef are islands with disputed sovereignty. Previously, China established military bases and settlements on both as part of its efforts to strengthen its sovereignty claims over the disputed waters.
China has one of the world’s biggest fleets of naval hospital ships. The Peace Ark has made several overseas humanitarian missions, and from June to January it is visiting 15 countries to offer medical services.
The Silk Road Ark will provide medical aid to casualties in wartime, aid soldiers and civilians on the islands and reefs, carry out international humanitarian missions and emergency response, and conduct medical exchanges and cooperation with foreign militaries, according to the PLA Navy.
“The ship can support the operation of various clinical departments, including orthopaedics, general surgery, gastroenterology, and can simultaneously perform eight surgical operations and accommodate more than 300 inpatients,” it said on its X-like social media, WeChat.
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Both the Peace Ark and the Silk Road Ark were designed and built by the China State Shipbuilding Corporation.