China’s Shandong Aircraft Carrier Back to Sea after First Scheduled Maintenance

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s Shandong aircraft carrier will soon be deployed for far sea operations, now that it has completed receiving its first scheduled maintenance since it was commissioned.

The Shandong's maintenance started in late March, when the carrier set out from its homeport in Sanya, South China's Hainan Province, sailed through the Taiwan Straits and then arrived at Dalian Shipyard.

The vessel was launched on July 1 after finishing the painting of coating and marking lines on the flight deck and the cleaning of the hull bottom, Shanghai-based news website eastday.com reported on Saturday.

A military expert told the Global Times that the Shandong likely also likely received maintenance and refurbishment for some of its internal parts. They might even have been upgraded based on the experience accumulated from its actual use.

The Type 901 comprehensive replenishment ship Hulunhu arrived at the Dalian Shipyard. It could supply the Shandong before the latter embarks on a voyage, the above-quoted expert said.

After having completed the maintenance, the Shandong will be fully ready for missions to come, including those that could see the carrier team up with other warships, sail through the first island chain and hold intensive drills as the aircraft carrier Liaoning did in May, the expert said.

The Shandong was commissioned into the PLA Navy on December 17, 2019 in its Sanya homeport. Since then, it carried out a number of exercises in the South China Sea and the Bohai Sea, sailing through the Taiwan Straits several times in the process.