The seven ro-ro, or “roll-on/roll-off” ships, with the Yantai-based Bohai Ferry Company in Shandong province, deviated from their normal shipping routes in the Bohai Sea, according to Maritime Optima, a live ship tracker.
As of Thursday, two of them – the Bohai Zuanzhu and Zhong Hua Fu Xing – had docked at the port of Quanzhou in the strait-facing Fujian province, while the remaining five were still in the waters near Quanzhou.
The Bohai Zuanzhu is Asia’s largest ro-ro passenger ship by tonnage and capacity, and can carry special vehicles that are extra-long, extra-wide and extra-high.
Compared to the PLA’s Type 075 amphibious assault ship, which can carry helicopters, tanks, and infantry fighting vehicles and has a displacement of 40,000 tonnes, Bohai Zuanzhu’s displacement is 35,000 tonnes.
