The PLA navy's mine hunter, Donggang, officially entered active service on Dec. 29. The vessel consists of a mother ship and three 100-ton distant-control minesweepers. The displacement of the mother ship is close to 600 tons. With an advanced design and mine-hunting system, the vessel is able to locate and destroy various types of underwater mines.

With its low cost and easy maintenance, operation of the ship doesn't require a large crew. In the future, the ship will be mainly responsible for investigation, seabed monitoring, patrolling and escorting. Dozens of missile operators have already been selected and intensively trained for work on the vessel.