China Navy deploys its Type 272 icebreaker ship Haibing to carry out 84th ice survey mission.

According to information published by the Chinese Ministry of Defense on January 29, 2021, the Chinese Navy sent the Type 272 icebreaker ship Haibing (Sea Ice, Hull 722) to the Bohai Sea and the northern waters of the Yellow Sea to perform the 84th ice survey mission on January 25, 2021.
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Chinese Navy Type 723 icebreaker ship Haibing. (Picture source China MoD)

Due to the cold front, the ice conditions in the Bohai Sea and the northern part of the Yellow Sea are deteriorating. As a result, maritime shipping, aquaculture, and offshore oil and gas development have all been greatly affected.

In order to obtain real-time data on maritime ice conditions and support the winter ice-breaking and disaster relief work, the PLA Navy’s icebreaker will conduct a survey in 28 points in the waters of the Bohai Sea and the northern part of the Yellow Sea, with a total voyage exceeding 1,000 nautical miles for more than 100 hours.

Besides obtaining hydrological and meteorological data, the icebreaker will also carry out navigation training in complex sea conditions and sea area transferring training.

It is learned that Haibing (Hull 722), the first ship of the domestically-built Type 272 icebreakers of the Chinese Navy, started its military service in 2015, and mainly takes on the tasks of ice condition investigation, icebreaking and maritime search and rescue in ice zones in the waters of the Yellow Sea and the Bohai Sea.

The Type 272 icebreaker is the third generation of icebreaker locally developed by China for the People's Liberation Navy (PLAN). The design of the ship features in comparison to earlier Chinese icebreakers, such as the incorporation of multifunction displays, and it can withstand a wind scale of 12 when sailing. Type 272 is also capable of carrying a large helicopter of Changhe Z-8 class.