VESSEL REVIEW | Zhongguo Yuzheng 46017 – Chinese agriculture ministry to deploy new fisheries patrol vessels off Hainan province
CSSC Guijiang Shipbuilding in China recently handed over two new fisheries patrol vessels in a series to the country's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA).
Zhongguo Yuzheng 46017 (中国渔政46017; "China Fishery Administration 46017") and Zhongguo Yuzheng 46018 (中国渔政46018) will be operated on fisheries enforcement patrols by MARA via the Hainan Provincial Ocean and Fishery Supervision Corps in the deep-sea waters of China's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) up to 200 nautical miles off mainland Hainan province. The vessels will also have a secondary disaster response, search and rescue (SAR), maritime law enforcement, and port supervision and security functions.
Designed for harsh operating environments
Each newbuild has a steel-aluminium hull, a length of 69.6 metres (228 feet), a beam of nine metres (30 feet), a displacement of 640 tonnes, and a deadweight of 500. The propulsion arrangement on each vessel consists of three Hechai Heavy Industry CHD622V16CR main diesel engines driving three propellers.
The vessels possess improved manoeuvrability and seakeeping to be able to withstand the extreme sailing conditions off Hainan, which are often characterised by fast currents, rough waves, and strong winds.
Fast transits for shorter response times
The propulsion meanwhile delivers a top speed of just over 24 knots, making them among the fastest MARA fisheries patrol vessels and enabling them to reach coastal areas more quickly. This then permits them to conduct shorter transits and thus devote more time to conduct actual enforcement patrols and increase their presence to help minimise the occurrence of illegal activities within their areas of operation.
A number of intelligent systems are also fitted to permit more streamlined operations even with smaller crew complements compared to other vessels in the MARA’s fisheries enforcement fleet.
Construction of Zhongguo Yuzheng 46017 and Zhongguo Yuzheng 46018 was completed in compliance with China Classification Society rules.
