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Enoch Wong

China’s third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, has left its shipyard again, according to images from Chinese social media, adding to speculation that it will soon enter military service.
On Wednesday afternoon, photos and videos posted on social media platforms showed the Fujian starting its engines and emitting thick smoke before slowly departing from the Changxing Island dock at the Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai. Previously, the ship underwent three months of maintenance.
State media reported earlier that the Fujian could be commissioned by the end of the year.
The images show a few signs that this excursion might have been different from previous sea trials, drawing speculation that the carrier could enter service sooner than thought.
State broadcaster CCTV aired footage last month that hinted at September 18 as a possible commissioning date, which marks the 94th anniversary of the start of imperial Japan’s invasion of China. Another date widely discussed online is October 1, or National Day in the People’s Republic of China.
Images show the hull freshly cleaned and the deck completely cleared. In earlier outings, the deck carried models or mock-ups of carrier-based aircraft.
Aerial photos shared online suggested the Fujian, China’s first electromagnetic catapult carrier, would head south.
Since Tuesday, China State Shipbuilding Corporation has promoted a carrier-themed Beijing subway train on social media for three consecutive days, further hinting that the Fujian may soon enter service.
The Great Victory train is running on Beijing’s Line 19, with its seventh carriage decorated in a Fujian carrier theme. The carriage floor has been designed to resemble a carrier deck, complete with arresting cables, a helicopter landing zone and the number 18 – the Fujian’s hull number. The ceiling is painted with a design featuring J-15 carrier-based aircraft armed with missiles.
Some believe the Fujian may be sailing to Sanya, a key military port and the home port of another aircraft carrier, the Shandong. It would take roughly 30 to 50 hours for a carrier to reach Sanya, depending on its path.
Wednesday’s footage also showed that the same marine flags used in previous sea trials were not visible this time.


The Fujian has conducted eight sea trials since May 2024, testing its propulsion, electronic systems, deck operations and carrier-based aircraft take-offs and landings.
The carrier’s complementary aircraft – the J-35A stealth fighter, J-15T heavy carrier fighter, J-15DT electronic warfare aircraft and KJ-600 early warning aircraft – were all displayed publicly during the September 3 military parade, signalling readiness for eventual deployment aboard the Fujian.
The Shandong followed a similar schedule in 2019, departing on November 14, transiting the Taiwan Strait by November 16, reaching Sanya by November 19, and officially entering service on December 17.
Fuelling details also pointed to possible commissioning. Social media photos showed the Fujian being refuelled at the dock by a Type 637 naval oiler, instead of the civilian vessels used during earlier sea trials. Military observers on social media said this marked another strong signal of imminent induction.
The Fujian’s induction will mark a milestone in China’s naval history, ushering in a “three-carrier era”.
The Fujian is the first of the Type 003 class of conventionally powered carriers and the first domestically designed and built flat-deck carrier with electromagnetic catapults.
It will be the world’s second carrier equipped with electromagnetic catapults after the American carrier USS Gerald R. Ford. The technology allows the platform to launch more aircraft more efficiently.
The vessel is 320 metres (1,050 feet) long, 78 metres wide and has a draft of 11.5 metres. It is fitted with three electromagnetic catapults, two aircraft lifts and multiple arresting devices.
Construction began in 2019, and the Fujian was launched at Jiangnan Shipyard on June 17, 2022. It underwent mooring tests that September and began sea trials in May 2024.
In just 13 months, the ship completed eight trials spanning 117 days, compared with 84 days for the Shandong and 109 days for China’s first carrier, the Liaoning, laying a solid foundation for its commissioning.
The US Navy’s Ford-class carrier took 16 years from construction to service, while China completed the Fujian in six years. Analysts note that the US Navy’s ageing Nimitz-class carriers are preparing for phased retirement.


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China

Military

Images on social media hint at the advanced aircraft carrier’s impending commission


Images on social media hint at the advanced aircraft carrier’s impending commission.


Fujian Type 003 aircraft carrier

China’s navy

China’s aircraft carriers

China State Shipbuilding Corporation

China’s Fujian carrier leaves port, adding to signs it will soon enter service

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Images on social media hint at the advanced aircraft carrier’s impending commission

Images on social media hint at the advanced aircraft carrier’s impending commission