Largest fishery patrol vessel to arrive in Nansha Islands

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-03-15 19:14

GUANGZHOU -- China's largest fishery administration vessel is expected to arrive in the Nansha Islands on Sunday to patrol the South China Sea after a five-day voyage from its home port in Guangzhou.

The vessel, China Yuzheng 311, anchored in a naval base in Sanya on the southmost Hainan province Thursday for supply and set sail for the islands which are about 180 nautical miles southeast of Hainan.

The ship is the largest of its kind with a maximum displacement of 4,450 tonnes and will be mainly used to patrol waters of China's exclusive economic zones including Nansha, Xisha and Zhongsha Islands. It was converted from a rescue vessel of Chinese navy.

Yang Jian, chief economist with the Ministry of Agriculture, said that the ship is a new force in China's performance of fishery administration in the South China Sea.

Wu Zhuang, director of Administration of Fishery and Fishing Harbor Supervision for South China Sea, said the vessel will also take part in fishing vessels escort at southwest Zhongsha, and joint supervision and emergency rescue over the Beibu Bay.