South China Sea: PLA deploys new hospital ship to islands and reefs in contested waters

Silk Road Ark, China’s biggest hospital ship, is on maiden voyage, with hopes it will ‘better serve operational demand and battle readiness’

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The Silk Road Ark, China’s newest and biggest hospital ship, made its public debut on Wednesday as it left Zhanjiang for the islands and reefs in Paracel Islands and Spratly Islands to provide medical services. Photo: Weibo/央广军事

Alcott Wei

Published: 4:00pm, 16 Jul 2024Updated: 4:39pm, 16 Jul 2024

The Chinese military has deployed the nation’s biggest hospital ship to the South China Sea for its maiden mission.

The Silk Road Ark made its public debut last week as it set sail from a naval port in Zhanjiang in Guangdong province in southern China, heading for the islands and reefs in the Paracel Islands, known in China as the Xisha Islands, and the Spratly Islands (Nansha in Chinese), to provide medical services, according to state media.

The voyage comes at a time of increasing tension in the South China Sea, particularly between China and the Philippines. The Paracels are claimed by mainland China and Vietnam. The Spratly Islands are also subject to multiple claims, with Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia among claimants.

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The new floating hospital, which was commissioned to the Southern Theatre Command of the People’s Liberation Army, is the country’s second 10,000-tonne-class large hospital ship in 15 years after the Peace Ark entered service in the Eastern Theatre Command in 2008.

“The Silk Road Ark has the same hull structure and area with the Peace Ark, but it has a larger full-load displacement and stronger endurance than the Peace Ark,” state broadcaster CCTV said, without elaborating.

According to public information, the Peace Ark has a displacement of more than 14,000 tonnes.

“The two hospital ships would meet the navy’s strategic shift from the sole focus of offshore defence to the equal focus of blue-sea defence and near-shore defence, and better serve operational demand and battle readiness,” military expert Zhang Junshe was quoted as saying by the Global Times, a tabloid affiliated with Communist Party mouthpiece People’s Daily.