Fubai-class tanker explained

Fubai class tanker is a class of naval auxiliary ship currently in service with the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN),^[1] and has received NATO reporting name Fubai class.^{[2] [3] [4] [5]} The exact type designation remains unknown, and a total of four of this class have been confirmed in active service as of early-2020s.^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]}

Fubai class ships in PLAN service are designated by a combination of two Chinese characters followed by a three-digit number. The second Chinese character is You (油), meaning oil in Chinese, because these ships are classified as oil tankers. The first Chinese character denotes which fleet the ship is service with, with East (Dong, 东) for East Sea Fleet, North (Bei, 北) for North Sea Fleet, and South (Nan, 南) for South Sea Fleet. However, the pennant numbers are subject to change due to the change of Chinese naval ships naming convention, or when units are transferred to different fleets. Specification:^{[2] [3] [4] [5]}

• Length: 100 meter

Type	NATO designation	Pennant No.	Name (English)	Name (Han 中文)	Commissioned	Displacement	Fleet	Status
Fubai class transport oil tanker (AOT)	Fubai class	Dong-You 640	East Oil 640	东油 640	?		East Sea Fleet	Active
		Nan-You 968	South Oil 968	南油 968	?		South Sea Fleet	Active
		Nan-You 971	South Oil 971	南油 971	?		South Sea Fleet	Active
		Nan-You 972	South Oil 972	南油 972	?		South Sea Fleet	Active

Notes and References

1. Web site: Dongyou 640 class oil tanker . 3 August 2015 .
2. Web site: PLANS recognition guide 2018. July 16, 2018.
3. Web site: PLANS recognition guide 2019. February 19, 2020.
4. Web site: PLANS recognition guide 2020. February 19, 2020.
5. Web site: PLANS recognition guide 2015. August 7, 2015.