The list of ship commissionings in 1996 includes a chronological list of all ships commissioned in 1996.
| Operator | Ship | Flag | Class and type | Pennant | Other notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May | Type 052 destroyer | 113 | Date of initial operational capability | ||||
| 20 September | Type 23 frigate | F82 | [1] | ||||
| 2 November | S30 | ||||||
| 25 November | 903 |