PLAN aircraft carrier Shandong (CV-17) enters dry dock at Yulin naval base

Recent satellite imagery and several reports indicate that the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) aircraft carrier Shandong (CV-17) has entered a dry dock at Yulin naval base on Hainan Island for repair and maintenance. The reported move would be the first use of this new facility by an aircraft carrier, representing an important advance in the PLAN’s logistical support and sustainment capacity.

Reports place Shandong within a substantial dry dock thought to have been constructed between 2017 and 2022. Measuring approximately 375 metres in length and about 78 metres wide, the dock has previously been used to maintain major Chinese Navy and Coast Guard surface vessels. It had not, however, been used for aircraft carriers before, adding to the significance of the development.

Yulin naval base dry dock strengthens PLAN support

Analysts view the carrier’s use of the facility as evidence of the Chinese Navy’s drive to broaden its infrastructure for supporting large surface ships. Previously, maintenance of this kind was largely centred on northern shipyards, including those at Dalian. Employing the Yulin base is therefore a notable move towards distributing aircraft carrier maintenance more widely and reinforcing naval presence in the South China Sea.

Sustained operations of the aircraft carrier Shandong

Before entering dry dock, CV-17 sustained a demanding operational schedule during 2025, participating in major exercises with its escort vessels and embarked air wing. These activities reportedly involved naval aviation training with at least 10,000 flight operations, integration with destroyers and frigates, and deployments to strategically sensitive areas. Such activity would have heightened the requirement for technical checks and maintenance work.

Shandong was formally commissioned in December 2019. It became the first aircraft carrier constructed wholly in China and the second carrier to join active PLAN service, after Liaoning (CV-16).

Following several years of trials and training, Shandong completed its first operational deployment to the western Pacific in 2023. This was an important step in confirming its capacity to operate beyond waters near the Chinese mainland. The deployment featured air wing operations and navigation through strategic areas, establishing the basis for the carrier’s subsequent involvement in the broader exercises and deployments recorded in 2024 and 2025.

This development takes place as the Chinese Navy continues expanding and modernising its aircraft carrier force. Fujian (CV-18) is continuing to progress its operations while testing systems after entering service. The combination of additional vessels, strengthened support facilities and progressively more advanced maintenance cycles further signals Beijing’s intention to establish a sustained, long-range naval aviation capability.

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