The Chinese coast guard is building cutters based on the Type 056 hull to streamline supply line of spare parts and lower maintenance costs.
China building coastguard ship based on Type 056 corvette hull
Images have appeared online showing a CCG ship that is based on the Type 056 corvette in PLAN service. Source: Chinese internet Photographs have appeared on Chinese military websites of a China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel under construction at the Huangpu shipyard in Guangzhou, southern China, with a hull form that appears to be derived from the Type 056 Jiangdao corvette.
The Huangpu shipyard has built five of the 17 Type 056 corvettes that have been commissioned into the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) since February 2013 and has also built a number of coastguard vessels.
The Type 056 hull is 90 m long and in naval guise displaces around 1,500 tonnes. However, the coastguard vessel will not have the 76 mm gun, anti-ship, and short-range surface-to-air missiles or other weapon systems so is likely to displace less.
Propulsion is derived from diesel engines, and a top speed of around 25 kt is anticipated. While the hull form is the same as that of the Type 056, there are significant changes to the superstructure. The bridge and main mast have been moved aft and a raised platform constructed in front of the bridge, the function of which is not yet clear. It appears that the flight deck has been retained that is capable of operating a Z-9-size helicopter, although neither the coastguard vessel nor the Type 056 corvette are equipped with a hangar. Large davits have been installed forward of the flight deck on both port and starboard sides that will be capable of deploying rigid inflatable or other sea boats for boarding parties.
COMMENT Although the CCG operates a number of decommissioned PLAN ships, the choice of a warship hull for a newbuild coastguard vessel is slightly surprising as naval construction usually increases the cost due to the extensive compartmentalisation of the ship required to enhance its watertight integrity.
However, the number and rate of build of the Type 056 corvettes indicates the PLAN is satisfied with the performance and capabilities of these ships. It is not known how many vessels of this type are required by the CCG but if it is only a small number, it may be more cost-effective to draw on a proven hull design than start from scratch. Another benefit the CCG may be seeking in adopting the Type 056 hull is to improve logistics support and reduce maintenance costs by increasing commonality with systems used by the PLAN.
Online observers have reported that the ship is being built for service with the Maritime Customs arm of the consolidated CCG. The hull is clearly better suited to operating in littoral waters rather than open ocean, although it is a sizeable vessel for a customs role, possibly driven by a requirement for better surveillance and enhanced command and control capabilities.
The construction of this vessel continues the significant build programme of new ships for the CCG. IHS Jane's reported on the construction of a 10,000-tonne CCG vessel in October and recent reports indicate progress on the second of these vessels currently under construction at the Shanghai Changxingdao shipyard is well advanced. These very large coastguard cutters will be much better suited to offshore work and are likely to be deployed to the East or South China seas.
