Soldiers stationed on islands in the South China Sea rely on vessels to deliver their necessities. (Photo : China Daily)
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) ground force has commissioned its largest ship in Sansha, Hainan Province, on Monday, with plans to use it for the transportation of materials to islands in the South China Sea.
According to a Tuesday report on the PLA Daily, the military's online paper, the ship is a new generation logistics support vessel for the PLA Army.
The vessel is 90 meters long and has a full-load displacement of 2,700 metric tons, making it the largest one in the army's watercraft fleet, according to the report.
The ship has the capability to ferry heavy-duty weapons and accommodate a helicopter.
The website said that the vessel will be used to transport supplies, weapons and equipment to places in the South China Sea, as well as conduct search and rescue missions.
Photos on the website show that the ship has the designation of GY820, which means it belongs to the Guangzhou Military Command.
Cao Weidong, with the PLA Naval Military Studies Research Institute, said in a statement to China Daily that army soldiers guard many islands in the South China Sea, and it is the army's responsibility to send their needs.
"Compared with the navy's logistics support vessels, which mainly supply combat ships at sea, the army only uses such ships to transport materials to soldiers stationed on islands, so their ships are smaller and have fewer weapons," said Cao.
Earlier reports indicate that the PLA Shenyang Military Command received a ship of the same class in Nov. 2014.
