China’s home-built aircraft carrier Shandong starts 1st maintenance, refurbishment: media reports

The picture shows aircraft carrier Shandong berths at a naval port in Sanya. China's first domestically-made aircraft carrier Shandong (Hull 17) was officially commissioned to the PLA Navy at a military port in Sanya, South China's Hainan Province, on the afternoon of December 17, 2019, making China one of the few countries in the world that have multiple carriers. Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the commissioning ceremony for the new aircraft carrier, which was named after China's eastern province of Shandong, and handed military flag to Senior Captain Lai Yijun, commander of the ship. Photo:China Military

The Shandong, China's second aircraft carrier and the first developed domestically, reportedly started its first scheduled maintenance and refurbishment that is expected to enhance the flattop's usability after more than two years of active service. The procedure could involve the painting of new non-skid coating as well as repairs and upgrades for some subsystems, and the carrier would come back stronger than ever in a few months, observers said on Sunday.

Moored in a berth at Dalian Shipyard in Northeast China's LiaoningProvince where the carrier was constructed, the Shandongwas receiving painting of new non-skid coating to its flight deck on Saturday, the 73rd founding anniversary of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, Hong Kong-based news website wenweipo.com reported on the day.

This is the first scheduled usability enhancement maintenance of the Shandongback at its shipyard since its commissioning into the PLA Navy in December 2019 in Sanya, South China's Hainan Province, and the workers at the shipyard are working extra shifts for the refurbishment, according to the wenweipo.com report.

The main dock of the Dalian Shipyard has been cleared after a civilian ship left on April 13, but the Shandonghas not yet entered the dock, the report said.

On March 18, the Shandongsailed through the Taiwan Straits from south to north without aircraft on its flight deck, Reuters reported at the time, citing the island of Taiwan's defense authority and an anonymous source. Analysts said then that the carrier was likely on its way from its homeport in Sanya to its shipyard in Dalian for a regular maintenance.

In addition to refreshing the non-skid coating of the flight deck, the maintenance could also feature the refurbishment, repair and upgrade of some subsystems that tends to wear and tear, like the arresting gear, the power system, pipelines and electronics systems, a military expert who requested anonymity told the Global Times on Sunday.

A comprehensive examination to the carrier could be carried out, and upgrades and overhaul could be made to those parts that encountered problems or can be optimized based on the experiences gained over the past two years, the expert said.

It is totally normal for aircraft carriers to conduct this kind of regular maintenance, and this procedure could take a few months, the expert said, noting that the Shandongwould become more powerful and combat-ready after the refurbishment.

A refurbishment to the Liaoning, China's first aircraft carrier, took about six months, from July 2018 to January 2019, also in the Dalian Shipyard, according to media reports.