Type 632 Class (Fulin Class) Chinese Oil Tanker

The Type 632 tanker is a type of naval auxiliary ship currently in service with the People's Republic of China Navy (PLAN). Designed as a type that is capable of transport both water and oil, these ships entered service from 1972 onward. Type 632 tanker has received NATO reporting name as Fulin class. After transferred to reserves, these ships begun to retire in the early 2010s. Type 632 tankers in PLAN service are designated by a combination of two Chinese characters followed by three-digit number. The second Chinese character is You (油), meaning oil in Chinese, or Shui (水), meaning water, because these ships are classified either as oil and water tankers. The first Chinese character denotes which fleet the ship is service with, with East (Dong, 东) for East Sea Fleet, North (Bei, 北) for North Sea Fleet, and South (Nan, 南) for South Sea Fleet. However, the pennant numbers may have changed due to the change of Chinese naval ships naming convention.