The Dulaji class are a class of environmental research ships (AGER) currently in service with the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN),[1][2][3][4] and the design is also modified for cable layer (YRC) in PLAN service,[1][2][3][4] with both versions have received the same NATO reporting name Dulaji class because they share the same hull.[1][2][3][4] The exact type of this class remain unknown as of 2022, because no official information has been released, despite the ships have already been in service for more than a decade.[5] In addition to the usual task of conducting regular environmental sampling, monitoring/surveillance and research missions, these ships are also tasked with additional task of sewer transfer and treatment from other ships to prevent sewer onboard other ships from overflowing into the sea and thus causing pollution, and thus these ships also act as sewer vessels for vessel sewage discharging.[5][6]

Dulaji-class research ship
Dulaji-class research ship
History
PRC
StatusIn service
General characteristics
Class and typeDulaji class
Displacement300 long tons (300 t)
Sensors and
processing systems
Navigation radar
Electronic warfare
& decoys
None
ArmamentNone
Aircraft carriedNone
Aviation facilitiesNone

Ships of this class in PLAN service are designated by a combination of two Chinese characters followed by a two-digit number. For the environmental research version, the second Chinese character is Jian[1][2][3][4](监), meaning monitor in Chinese, since its primary duties included monitoring environment. For the cable layer version, the second Chinese character is Lan[1][2][3][4](缆), meaning cable (for communication & power) in Chinese, since its primary duties are laying & maintaining communication and power cables. The first Chinese character denotes which fleet the ship is service with, with East (Dong, 东) for East Sea Fleet (ESF), North (Bei, 北) for North Sea Fleet (NSF), and South (Nan, 南) for South Sea Fleet (SSF). 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. Specification:[1][2][3][4][5][6]

  • Length: 30 meter
  • Displacement: 300 ton

Ships of the environmental research version (AGER):

Type NATO designation Pennant No. Name
(English)
Name
(Han 中文)
Commissioned Displacement Fleet Status
Dulaji class environmental research ship (AGER) Dulaji class Bei-Jian 04 North Monitor 04 北监 04 ? 300 t North Sea Fleet Active
Bei-Jian 10 North Monitor 10 北监 10 ? 300 t North Sea Fleet Active
Dong-Jian 06 East Monitor 06 东监 06 ? 300 t East Sea Fleet Active
Nan-Jian 03 South Monitor 03 南监 03 ? 300 t South Sea Fleet Active

Ships of the cable layer version (YRC):

Type NATO designation Pennant No. Name
(English)
Name
(Han 中文)
Commissioned Displacement Fleet Status
Dulaji class cable layer (YRC) Dulaji class Bei-Lan 768 North Cable 768 北缆 768 ? 300 t North Sea Fleet Active
Bei-Lan 769 North Cable 769 北缆 769 ? 300 t North Sea Fleet Active
Dong-Lan 884 East Cable 884 东缆 884 ? 300 t East Sea Fleet Active
Dong-Lan 885 East Cable 885 东缆 885 ? 300 t East Sea Fleet Active
Nan-Lan 235 South Cable 235 南缆 235 ? 300 t South Sea Fleet Active

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "PLANS recognition guide 2018". July 16, 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "PLANS recognition guide 2019". February 19, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "PLANS recognition guide 2020". February 19, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "PLANS recognition guide 2015". August 7, 2015.
  5. ^ a b c "300t class AGER". Retrieved April 3, 2013.
  6. ^ a b "300-ton class AGER". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2007.