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
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]
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
Ammunition ships (AE/AEM)
Buoy tenders (AGL)Cable layers (ARC)Cargo ships (AK)
Crane ship (AB)Degaussing /deperming ships (ADG)Dive tenders (YDT)Dredgers (AGD)Engineering ships
Engineering ships of unknown class/type: Bei-Gong 275 & 276
Environmental research ships (AGER) Fleet Replenishment ship (AEFS) Floating pile drivers (YPD) General purpose research ships (AGE) Harbor utility craft (YFU) Hospital ships (AH)
Hospital ships (AH)Medical evacuation ships (AHP) Ambulance transports (APH) Ambulance craftd (YH)
Hydrographic survey ships (AGS) Icebreakers (AGB)Museum ships Oceanographic research ships (AGOR) Oceanographic surveillance ships (AGOS) Personnel transport (AP)
Range support &target ships (AGT) Repair ships (AR)
Rescue and salvage ships
Spy ships (AGI)Submarine support ships
Submersibles (X)
Tankers
Technological research ships
Torpedo trials craft
Torpedo retrievers (TR/TWR) Torpedo trials ships (YTT)
Tracking ship (AGM)Training ships (AX)
Training ship (AX) Training ship, sail (AXS) Onshore stationary training facilities
Tugs (AT)
Harbor tug (YT) Large harbor tug (YTB) Rescue Tug (ATR) Sea-going Tug (ATA) Tugs of unknown class/type
Bei-Tuo 153, 651, 704, 728, Dong-Tuo 845, 861, Nan-Tuo 142, 163, 168, 176, 187, 188
UAV mothershps (ATLS)Unmanned surface vehicles (USV) Unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV)
Wave gliders Weapon trials ships (AVM/AGM)
* = Under construction or procurement,
CG = Classified as
guided missile cruiser by NATO,
FF = Classified as light frigate by PLAN