The move, if verified, will mark the aircraft carrier, the Shandong's first known voyage in five months since being commissioned in December and later returning to the shipyard for maintenance.
The voyage could feature intense, capability-boosting training and test new modifications made in the past few months, Chinese experts said on Tuesday.
According to these unverified photos and videos posted by a number of netizens on Chinese social media and reports by Sina Military, the Shandong set off on a voyage on Monday from the Dalian Shipyard in Northeast China's Liaoning Province.
It coincided with a navigation restriction notice released by the Maritime Safety Administration on Friday, which said entry into a vast area of the Yellow Sea will be prohibited due to a military mission from Monday to 2 June, without mentioning if the aircraft carrier would be taking part in the mission.
Beijing-based naval expert Li Jie told the Global Times on Tuesday that the Shandong is now laying the foundation for forming initial operational capability, as it needs to solve issues in all of its systems and train related personnel.
The domestically developed Shandong was commissioned into the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy on 17 December with a grand ceremony held at a naval base in Sanya, South China's Hainan Province, after which it sailed back to the Dalian Shipyard in late December for maintenance.
After the long distance round trip from Dalian to Sanya, the Shandong needed time to make improvements and calibrations based on possible problems it encountered then, Li said.
The latest voyage, if verified, will likely test if every adjustment is working well, and if possible, some exercises including the takeoff and landing of fighter jets and formation with other warships will be conducted, Li predicted.
During its stay in Dalian, the aircraft carrier organized port exercises, the Xinhua News Agency reported in 22 April. The Chinese Navy also said in February that no sailor on the Shandong was infected with COVID-19 and all training and testing work was being carried out according to schedule.
China's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, in April conducted deep sea cross-regional mobilization exercises featuring comprehensive back-to-back attack-defense mock battles in the South China Sea, according to reports.
This article originally appeared on the Global Times website.
