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In April, the rusting hulk of the never-completed Soviet-era aircraft carrier Varyag -- docked in northern China’s Dailian shipyard -- was unmoored for the first time since 2002 and moved into dry dock, where it is now undergoing a major refit.
Past Chinese schemes for used Soviet navy carriers have included converting the vessels into floating casinos or military museums -- something China could have in mind for the Varyag. Alternatively, Beijing might have a less pacific use in mind for the 67,500-ton Kuznetsov-class Varyag, such as adding it to the arsenal of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) or exporting it to another country.
Between 1998 and 2000, three ex-Soviet-navy aircraft carriers -- the 45,000-ton Kiev class Kiev and Minsk, and the Varyag -- were purchased by Chinese commercial companies. The two Kiev-class carriers initially were developed into "floating tourism parks" based in Shenzhen and Tianjin respectively, though the Minsk was later scrapped, and the Kiev was converted into a museum. The Varyag, on the other hand, took 15 months to get from Ukraine -- where it was being built -- to China, because Turkey delayed granting permission for the ship to be towed through the Bosporus. Once it arrived in China -- its original destination -- Macau refused to permit it to be brought there for conversion into a floating casino. In 2002, the Varyag eventually ended up in Dailian, China's most advanced shipyard, which specializes in large-tonnage military and civilian projects.
Zhang Guangqin, vice director of the Chinese State Commission of Science, Technology, and Industry for National Defense, said June 16 that Beijing was not building an aircraft carrier. Since the Varyag entered dry dock, however, the carrier's hull has been sandblasted to remove rust, and the superstructure -- which had been removed -- has been rebuilt to the ship's original configuration. In addition, high-ranking Chinese officials have made frequent visits to the worksite. And military guards patrol the worksite, who -- when they bother to answer questions about the Varyag -- insist the ship is being modified for military use.
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