Soviet Aircraft Carriers Find A New Home In China

Jane's Intelligence Review | April 2002 | Ian Storey

[Stand Watch Listen]

Following the collapse of the USSR in 1991, and the subsequent emasculation of the Russian Navy, China was presented with the opportunity of acquiring unwanted Soviet-era aircraft carriers. Since 1998, Chinese companies have purchased three ex-Soviet aircraft carriers - the Kiev, the Minsk and the Varyag.

The Kiev

Commissioned in 1976 the Kiev was the first of a new class of 40,000-ton aircraft carriers designed to provide the Soviet Navy with organic fighter cover. Kiev-class carriers are conventionally powered and capable of carrying 12 Yak-38 Forger VSTOL fighters and about 20 helicopters. The Kiev was decommissioned in 1994 and in May 2000 a Tianjin shipbreaking company purchased the vessel for US$8.4m. Although the contract with the Russian Ministry of Defence stipulated that the vessel had to be scrapped, local authorities established a project investment corporation with the aim of turning the aircraft carrier into a tourist attraction.

In November 2000, the contract with Moscow was renegotiated to allow the Kiev to be used for tourism purposes. According to the developer's official website (http://kiev-a-c-com/), the Kiev will form part of the Beiyang Recreational Harbour project, which will include "military recreation activities, museums, exhibitions, fun parks, recreational grounds, [and] education sites". Planned amenities on the Kiev include a conference centre, TV studio, nightclubs and restaurants.

The Minsk

In 1995, the Kiev-class carriers Minsk and Novorossiysk were sold to a South Korean company for scrap. However, in June 1998 the Chinese firm Minsk Aircraft Carrier Industry Company bought the Minsk for $5m. Before the sale went through, the South Korean firm stripped the vessel of its armaments, engines and communication systems and was given a guarantee that the new owners would not use the carrier for military purposes. The Minsk was towed to Guangdong province where a $4m conversion took place to transform the carrier into a floating museum. The vessel was moved to Shenzhen in September 2000 and now forms the centrepiece of the Minsk World theme park. For an entrance fee of $8, visitors can now board the former flagship of the Soviet Pacific Fleet and see MiG fighters on the flight deck, replicas of anti-ship missiles and other weapon systems, and exhibitions on the history of the Russian Navy and the Soviet space programme. Visitors can also watch displays of Russian dancing in the hangar, eat at a Russian restaurant and enjoy tank rides on parkland in front of the vessel. According to the pro-China Hong Kong newspaper Wen Wei Po, Minsk World is aimed at "popularising science as well as national defence education".

The Varyag

The most intriguing purchase to date has been that of the Varyag. The second of the 67,500-ton Kuznetsov-class, Varyag was laid down in 1985 at the Nikolayev shipyards in the Ukraine. The Kuznetsov-class of ships is conventionally powered, but unlike previous Soviet carriers can operate fixed-wing aircraft, such as the Su-27K (Su-33) and the MiG-29K. This class of vessel had no steam catapult, but was equipped instead with a ski jump at the bow of the vessel, enabling short takeoffs.

Work on the Varyag was abandoned at the beginning of 1992 following the break up of the USSR. The carrier was 70% complete, but had no engines, rudder or armaments. In March 1998, the ship was purchased by the Macau-based Chong Lot Tourist and Amusement Agency, a subsidiary of the Hong Kong company Chin Luck Holdings. Chong Lot, which was established in August 1997 but had no address in the then Portuguese colony, paid $20m for the vessel - three times its scrap value. In November 1998, Chong Lot unveiled plans to turn the Varyag into a floating casino anchored in Macau's harbour. However, according to authorities in Macau, no application has yet been received to operate a casino on an aircraft carrier, and that in any case the coastal waters are far too shallow to accommodate such a large vessel.

Following the sale of the Varyag, the Russian media claimed that Chong Lot and Chin Luck were acting on behalf of the Chinese government. Although the Chinese embassy in Moscow was quick to deny any involvement in the purchase, investigations by Hong Kong's Sunday Morning Post revealed two of Chong Lot's directors in Macau were former PLAN officers. In 1999, Hong Kong based Goldspot Investments became a majority shareholder in Chong Lot. One of Goldspot's directors had an address inside a military compound in Beijing. Moreover, the majority shareholder of Goldspot is China Securities International Limited which, in turn, is a subsidiary of the state-owned China Securities. Moving the vessel to Macau was held up for 15 months because the Turkish authorities refused to allow it to pass through the Bosphorous Straits, alleging the vessel posed a danger to shipping. In September 2001, Turkey finally gave permission for the Varyag to pass through the straits after the direct intervention of Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Yang Wenchang on a visit to Ankara. The Varyag arrived in the northeastern Chinese port of Dalian on 3 March 2002. The owners continue to assert that the vessel will be turned into a casino, despite the fact that Chong Lot has yet to apply for a casino license from the Macanese authorities.

-- Ian Storey

[HELLRAISER II]

In a way I understand the Russians, they have a fragile economy that they are trying to bolster by selling what they have, ARMs. At least we have acknowledged that fact, but the fact that we(our Government) seem to be overlooking is the most important one. China is buying these ships & weapons with the intention of a War with the U.S. We need to wake up & acknowled what the people of China are planning.