Saturday, June 28, 2014

Chinese Workers in Iraq Moved to Safety

Chinese Workers in Iraq Moved to Safety

 http://online.wsj.com/articles/chinese-workers-in-iraq-moved-to-safety-1403956518
By Josh Chin
June 28, 2014 7:55 a.m. ET

BEIJING—More than 1,200 Chinese workers trapped by the violence sweeping parts of Iraq this past week have been moved to safety in the Iraqi capital, the Chinese government said Saturday.

A statement on the Chinese foreign ministry's website said the workers, employed by China Machinery Engineering 1829.HK +0.22% Corporation, had been transferred to Baghdad from the northern city of Samarra with help from the Iraqi government and military.

Samarra, where the workers were building a fuel-oil power plant, lies in the center of the region north of Baghdad where Sunni Muslim insurgents associated with the militant group Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, or ISIS, have been battling the Iraqi army.

Chinese state media had earlier reported that a group of about 50 workers were transported out of Samarra to Baghdad by helicopter on Wednesday.

The remaining workers were transported out of Samarra by bus over the following two days, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency. It said the workers are staying in a hotel in central Baghdad and are in good condition.

As China's economic reach has expanded and Chinese companies, entrepreneurs and tourists have fanned out across the globe, they have been frequently caught in trouble spots. The workers in Samarra were among more than 100,000 Chinese working in Iraq, most of them in areas that have been unaffected by the insurgency.

"At present, the vast majority of Chinese citizens in Iraq are in safe and controlled areas," the foreign ministry statement said. The ministry, it said, is monitoring developments and "will take timely measures to guarantee the safety of Chinese workers and companies there."

China has emerged as one of Iraq's most important commercial partners. The three main state oil companies have interests in the Iraq's energy sector, which supplies some 10% of China's total imported crude, according to the latest data available from China's customs administration.

China National Petroleum Corp., the country's largest oil company by production, has interests in three Iraqi oil fields, all of which are south of the Baghdad. In Iraq's northern Kurdistan region, Sinopec Group subsidiary Addax Petroleum holds a stake in the Taq Taq oil field, about 60 kilometers north of Kirkuk. Both companies said Friday that their operations were unaffected by the violence.

Monday, June 23, 2014

Photo of the day: PLA's Mobile Loading Dock and Lo-Lo STUFT (Ships Taken Up From Trade) at work




Saturday, April 14, 2012

PLA Mobile Loading Dock

Thanks hmmwv for the photos and the write-up

This is a PLA mobile loading dock commissioned by Nanjing Military Region in recent years. It offers emergency cargo and vehicle loading/offloading capabilities to damaged friendly port or captured but sabotaged enemy ports. Along with large pontoons they can form a field loading dock for non-amphibious cargo ships at beach head.



Sunday, June 15, 2014

Chinese Nuclear-Powered Aircraft Carrier (CVN): Design Finalized

China-Defense Forum members were somewhat astounded today when pictures were released on Chinese internet forums of what is certainly a model of the first Chinese nuclear-powered aircraft carrier (CVN) on display at an official event in Zhongshan.  While it being just a model might not seem that significant to many, there are telltales about the model in these pics that indicate it's genuine.  In fact, it represents a final design for the new CVN has been approved by PLAN for production.


The design clarifies some previous questions: four catapults (presumably EMALS), no ski-jump, three elevators.  It also appears to be a very large carrier in the NIMITZ/FORD Class displacement range.


The hull number 18 falls in line with previous expectations that the first "all-indigenous" Chinese carrier design would be nuclear-powered and is expected to be the "002 Class".  As the currently in-service CV LIAONING is hull number 16, this seems to imply hull number 17 will be the 001A class, a Chinese-built KUZNETSOV-class CV.

Join the discussion inside the CDF Forum.

Friday, June 13, 2014

Cheap PR release of the day:China says willing to help Iraq in any way it can

China says willing to help Iraq in any way it can
BEIJING  Fri Jun 13, 2014 7:47am EDT

(Reuters) - China said on Friday that it was watching security developments in Iraq closely after Islamist fighters captured two more towns in a sweep south, and offered the government in Baghdad whatever help it can give.

China is the top foreign player in Iraq's oilfields, which are the largest in the Middle East open to foreign investment, and has a natural interest in the country's stability.

"China is paying close attention to the recent security situation in Iraq and we support the Iraqi government's efforts to maintain domestic security and stability. We hope that Iraq can return to stability, safety and normality as early as possible," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said.

"For a long time, China has been giving Iraq a large amount of all sorts of aid and is willing to give whatever help it is able to," she told a daily news briefing without elaborating.

China had asked Iraq's government to ensure the safety of Chinese people in the country, Hua said, though she did not say if any there had been any effect on China's oil interests in the country.

State-run China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), China's biggest oil and gas producer, has three projects in Iraq, in the south and southeast of the country.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Nick Macfie)




Friday, March 13, 2009

Photos of PAP drinking their milkshake near a Chinese oil field in Iraq.

Do you think the Chinese government should express their gratitude to the Bush administration for making the world safe for democracy?











Iraq inaugurates oil deal with China's CNPC
(Adds CNPC comments)

By Ahmed Rasheed
http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssEnergyNews/idUSLB36965920090311?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0

WASIT, Iraq, March 11 (Reuters) - Iraq inaugurated a $3 billion oil project on Wednesday with the Chinese National Petroleum Company (CNPC), activating the country's first major oil deal with a foreign firm since the fall of Saddam Hussein.

Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani joined Chinese officials at the al-Ahdab field in south-eastern Wasit province, which should eventually produce 110,000-130,000 barrels of oil a day.

CNPC will operate Ahdab under a contract, initially signed under Saddam, which the Iraqi government renegotiated last year to gain better terms by changing it from the production-sharing agreement reached in 1997 to a set-fee service deal.

Shahristani pushed the button on a seismic survey of the field and said the project, worth $3 billion, would begin drilling four appraisal wells "within months."

"The majority of oil extracted here will be used for export in order to add revenues to the budget," he said, adding part of Ahdab's oil would help fuel a nearby power station.

Zhi Yulin, CNPC's top official in Iraq, said the deal would include a total of 138 wells and that drilling rigs would reach the field in two weeks.

The project, while modest in terms of total output, is a milestone for Iraq as it seeks to reinvigorate its oil sector, which offers vast potential but is hindered by the effects of years of sanctions, underinvestment and war.

The government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is courting top foreign firms in two bidding rounds for long-term service contracts for major oil and gas development fields.

It hopes that, as violence recedes in most parts of Iraq, foreign investors will set aside security concerns and will be drawn by the world's third-largest proven oil reserves.

Some industry officials have complained about the terms offered by the government, which wants service contracts rather than the production-sharing deals oil companies prefer.

Iraqi oil production now stands at 2.4 million barrels per day, below levels before the U.S.-led invasion, but Shahristani hopes to increase it to a long-term goal of 6 million bpd.

Exports, which have been slowed by technical problems, are now lower than the post-invasion peak of 2 million bpd last May.

Iraq needs to boost exports more than ever to make up for the slump in oil prices that has clouded its budget outlook. Iraq relies on oil for more than 95 percent of state revenues.

CNPC, which is the parent company of PetroChina, began construction at Ahdab in January. No drilling has started "I have assured (CNPC) that if they are able to accelerate execution of this project, we will give them the chance to participate in developing other oilfields," Shahristani said.

The CNPC official said that, despite continued violence in Iraq, the company was pursuing other oil deals in Iraq.

"Security is quite challenging for us, but we see more opportunities than challenges here in Iraq," he said.

In addition to the Ahdab deal, the government has also negotiated a natural gas deal with Royal Dutch Shell. (Writing by Missy Ryan; Editing by James Jukwey)

Monday, June 09, 2014

Photos of th day: playing laser tag at Zhurihe

"Stride 2014 Zhurihe" series exercise unveiled

(Source: China Military Online)   2014-06-03

   ZHURIHE, June 3 (ChinaMil) -- As an armored brigade under the Nanjing Military Area Command (MAC) of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) maneuvered for thousands of kilometers into the hinterland of the grassland in northern China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the "Stride 2014 Zhurihe" series exercise was unveiled at the Zhurihe Training Base under the Beijing MAC of the PLA on May 31, 2014.

   In the following two months, a combined army brigade from each of the five MACs, namely the Guangzhou MAC, the Jinan MAC, the Shenyang MAC, the Chengdu MAC and the Lanzhou MAC, will enter the training base successively according to the randomly selected sequence to carry out a concentrated examination and assessment.

  This series exercise aims at providing an example and standard for the PLA to carry out normalized actual-combat training at military base by relying on the Zhurihe Training Base and the first professional "blue army" of the PLA as well as through the whole-process confrontation and assessment by centering on the combat missions of the troop units participating in the exercise, according to the leaders from the Military Training Department of the General Staff Headquarters (GSH) of the PLA.

   At least 85 percent of the actual strength of personnel and equipment of the troop units participating in the exercise must be assigned, including all personnel in the key posts and all new equipment.

   The exercise' directing department has classified the exercise into four stages including maneuvering projection, battlefield maneuvering, actual-troop confrontation and comprehensive examination with 1,062 assessment points and 65 factors and will precisely assess the overall combat capability of the troop units based on the quantified indexes according to a score system with 1,000 as full mark.

  In addition, the directing department also launched a series of "bans": no strength and equipment adjustment without permission, no repeated use of the lost forces, no entrance to the exercise field in advance to carry out reconnaissance and survey, no change of the actual-combat system's performance, no preplans, no deduction, and so on.

Editor:Guo Renjie


















Tuesday, June 03, 2014

Fifth Type 903 Replenishment Ship launched, this one is by Guangzhou Shipyard International



Saturday, August 10, 2013

Replenishment ship 889, Taihu, heads to Gulf of Aden.

Taihu only commissioned in June 2013 and now it is rushed into a foreign deployment.  It goes to show how desperate the PLAN is regarding the need of Replenishment Tankers. 




http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90786/8353801.html15th Chinese naval escort taskforce holds rally before sailing to Gulf of Aden
The 15th escort taskforce under the Navy of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLAN) which will go to the Gulf of Aden and the waters off the Somali coast to take over the escort mission from the 14th Chinese naval escort taskforce held a rally yesterday morning at a naval port in Zhanjiang of south China's Guangdong province.
Commander Jiang Weilie of the PLAN South China Sea Fleet chaired the meeting, and Wang Dengping, political commissar of the South China Sea Fleet, addressed the meeting and encouraged all the officers and men to complete the escort mission.
Jiang Zhonghua, commander of the 15th Chinese naval escort taskforce and director of the Armaments Department of the South China Sea Fleet, and Liu Zhonghu, captain of the amphibious dock landing ship Jinggangshan, delivered a speech on behalf of the taskforce and all the officers and men respectively.
The 15th Chinese naval escort taskforce is composed of the guided missile frigate Hengshui, the amphibious dock landing ship Jinggangshan and the comprehensive supply ship Taihu.


Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Replenishment ship 889, Taihu commissioned today at Qingdao

中国海军网青岛 2013年6月18日电 记者钱晓虎、特约记者王庆厚报道:6月18日上午,我国自行研制设计的新型综合补给舰——太湖舰入列命名授旗仪式,在青岛某军港码头举行,标志着该舰正式加入人民海军战斗序列。北海舰队副司令员杨骏飞为该舰授军旗并颁发命名证书。

   太湖舰,舷号889,舰长178.5米,宽24.8米,满载排水量20000多吨,2012年3月下水。该舰是我国新一代大型远洋综合补给舰,也是北 海舰队接收的第一艘该型补给舰。补给接收装置采用国际标准,具有自动化程度高、操作简便、适配性强、补给速度快、保障效率高等特点,可通过横向、纵向、垂 直和靠帮等多种方式对舰艇编队实施补给作业,具备两舷三向四站同时补给能力。

  太湖舰交付北海舰队某作战支援舰支队后,主要担负战时加入海上机动编队对驱护舰实施航行或停泊补给,平时伴随驱护舰编队执行远航及出访任务。

  仪式上,太湖舰政委邵惠良代表全舰官兵发言,表示要牢记肩负使命,不负人民重托,认真学习新装备知识,把听党话、跟党走作为立舰之本,把拉得出、补得好作为责任担当,用忠诚和实干努力打造一支全面过硬的海上保障劲旅。

  http://navy.81.cn/content/2013-06/18/content_5379557.htm


Friday, May 31, 2013

Photo of the day: Replenishment ship 889, Taihu.




Looks like it is near completion.

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Guangzhou HuangPu's Milk Cow

Here is the latest photo from Guangzhou on the second Type 903 AOR under construction there.  



Monday, January 14, 2013


New type 903 AOR Replenishment oiler completed it's first sea trial

With impressive building speed of launch to first sea trial in just 9 months, the China navy must be needing those new milk cows bad.    Don't be surprise to see those two supporting Gulf of Aden anti piracy operations by year end.





Monday, May 07, 2012


A new type 903 AOR Replenishment oiler launched in Shanghai Hudong Shipyard.

Six weeks after the launch of a new Type 903 in Guangzhou's HuangPu shipyard.  A new Type 903 can also be seen in Shanghai today.




In the meanwhile in Guangzhou (photo posted on 5/5/2012)