Origin
Just as the 2nd stage of the development of the Chinese fleet replenishment ship was about to be yet again put on hold, there was an unexpected turn of fortune that saved the project from being scrapped. After the breakup of Soviet Union at the end of 1991, Ukraine was eager to sell a half completed replenishment ship built for the Soviet navy. Originally laid down as Soviet Ship Vladimir Peregudov, a Komandam Fedko class merchant tanker, the ship was modified as a replenishment ship for the Soviet navy, but building work was halted due to insufficient funding. Chinese were interested in the ship and the original chief designer of the proposed 2nd generation Chinese replenishment ship, Chinese Academy of Sciences academician Mr. Zhang Wende (张文德) was named as the head of the Chinese delegation and chief negotiator, and his team was sent to Ukraine to evaluate the ship intended for the former Soviet navy.
The Chinese delegation discovered that the main engine and the generator had been already installed, but not pipes, cables and wires, and Chinese considered the quality of the ship was in excellent condition. Upon returning China, Zhang Wende and his colleagues strongly suggested to Chinese authorities to buy the ship, and they were sent to Ukraine for the second time to finalize the deal. Because many of the subsystems of the ship were built in Saint Petersburg, some of Zhang Wende’s team members were also sent to Russia to secure the purchase of these subsystems, which they completed successfully. On November 6, 1992, the deal was formally signed by China and Ukraine, and the original funding for developing the 2nd generation domestic Chinese replenishment ship was diverted to purchase the uncompleted ship for the former-Soviet navy.
Read more about this topic: Fusu Class Replenishment Ship
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