Chinese icebreaker Haijing 6401

"Chinese icebreaker Haibing 723" and "Haibing 723" redirect here. For the Icebreaker of the same name made in 2015, see Type 272 icebreaker.

Haijing 6401 (NATO reporting name Yanbing) is a China Coast Guard icebreaker.^[1]

Class overview
Preceded by	Type 071 icebreaker
Succeeded by	Type 272 icebreaker
In service	1982–
Completed	1
Active	1
History
China
Name	Haibing 723 (Chinese: 海冰723)
Namesake	Sea ice
Commissioned	1982
Decommissioned	November 2012
Renamed	from C723
Fate	Transferred to China Marine Surveillance
China
Name	Haijian 111 (Chinese: 海监111)
Operator	China Marine Surveillance
Acquired	November 2012
Decommissioned	2013
Fate	Transferred to China coast guard
China
Name	Haijing 1411 (Chinese: 海警1411)
Operator	China Coast Guard
Acquired	2013
Renamed	to Haijing 6401 (Chinese: 海警6401)
Status	In service
General characteristics
Type	Icebreaker[1]
Displacement	4,491 tonnes (4,420 long tons; 4,950 short tons) (full)[1]
Length	102 m (334 ft 8 in)[1]
Beam	17.1 m (56 ft 1 in)[1]
Draft	5.9 m (19 ft 4 in)[1]
Installed power	Two diesel engines[1]
Speed	17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph)[1]
Complement	95[1]
Armament	8 x 37 mm gun (4 twin)[1]

Design

Haijing 6401 is the sole icebreaker of the Type 210 (NATO: Yanbing) class.^[2][1] According to a Chinese report in the early 2000s using Japanese sources, it could break 1.2 meters thick ice and the superstructure was fitted with electronic surveillance equipment.^[3]

History

The ship was built for the People's Liberation Army Navy in 1982 as C723, which was then Changed to Haibing 723,^[2][1] and operated as a spy ship in the North Sea Fleet.^[4]

In May 2000, the ship transited the Tsugaru Strait, conducted surveillance near Tsushima Island for seven days starting on May 14, and passed through the strait three times from May 23 to 26 to surveil the Cape Tappi "guard station." Japan lodged a complaint with China.^[5]

The ship was transferred to the China Marine Surveillence's North China Sea Fleet and renamed to Haijian 111 (Chinese: 海监111).^[6][7][8][9] On 21 December 2012 Haijian 111 participated in a patrol with Haijian 50 and Haijian 83 off the Diaoyu Islands.^[10]

The ship was transferred to the coast guard in July 2013 after the China Marine Surveillence was disbanded.^[11] Haijian 111 was renamed to Haijing 1411.^[1][12][8]

According to the Office of Naval Intelligence, Haijing 1411 was renamed to Haijing 6401.^[8]