Two naval vessels attached to a destroyer flotilla with the navy under the PLA Eastern Theater Command conduct an astern replenishment-at-sea during a realistic combat training exercise in waters of the East China Sea in early November, 2021.Photo:China Military

The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy has commissioned two new Type 052D destroyers, the Zhanjiang and the Jiaozuo, official reports revealed on Tuesday. More ships of this class have likely also recently entered naval service or are about to, said observers.

After the decommissioning of the old Zhanjiang, a Type 051 destroyer with the hull number of 165, in August 2020, the new Zhanjiang, a new-generation destroyer with the same hull number as the old ship, entered service more than a year later, the PLA Daily reported on Tuesday.

This is the first time the new Zhanjiang has been reported in an official PLA publication.

While the PLA Daily did not specify the type of the new Zhanjiang, the description of it being "a new-generation destroyer" and speculation by foreign media outlet Naval News in January suggest that the ship is likely of the Type 052D.

The same PLA Daily report on Tuesday also mentioned a warship named the Jiaozuo embarking on a voyage, but the report did not give further details, including the type of the ship or the time and the location of the voyage.

This indicates that the Jiaozuo has also been commissioned, analysts said.

On January 30, local newspaper the Jiaozuo Daily reported that sailors abroad the Jiaozuo destroyer sent their Spring Festival greetings to the people in Jiaozuo, the city the ship is named after.

The video report by the Jiaozuo Daily indicates that the Jiaozuo is a Type 052D destroyer, and according to the ship's badge shown in the report, the hull number of the ship is 163.

Overseas media reports said that China had launched 25 Type 052Ds by August 2020.

Based on the general pattern of ship construction and past experiences, it would take about two years for a destroyer to enter service after launch, so the remaining Type 052Ds that have been launched are likely already also in service, or are about to be enlisted soon, a Chinese military expert told the Global Times on Wednesday, requesting anonymity.