MSDF to buy tanker to fuel ships patrolling East China Sea

I hope this doesn’t lead to increased pollution.

The navy has not had a tanker until now?

The tanker is expected to cost "several tens of billions of yen"

Thanks for being so accurate. I appreciate it.

The more common sense is to build a base in the Senkaku islets since they are administered under Japan and there really isn't much China can or would do about it in any case.  The Chinese have build islets out of rocks poking out of the waters and not one country has taken that away. Its eat or be eaten...Time for Japan to start eating. No encroachment on already land that belongs to Japan period. Time to step it up and prove it.

The navy has not had a tanker until now?

They have supply vessels that are not dedicated fuel ships that carry a limited supply and lack the boom arms and cranes for rapid refueling.

The current supply ships refuel other ships by suspending the hoses with a cable passed between ships. A process that takes several times longer and the smaller gauge of the hose means slower pumping.

Thanks for the info.  but still..........  a Navy without a fuel tanker?

"The White Beach facility is currently supplied by commercial shippers who usually take two months to complete deliveries once a contract is agreed. Management of the fuel dump, however, has become difficult as the pace of naval operations increase, making it more difficult for the MSDF to forecast future demand."

Judging from the article. it looks like the the MSDF is looking at buying a standard oil tanker not a replenishment oilier. It makes sense since the MSDF does not want to depend on commerical shippers for its fuel. Nevertheless, the MSDF should look at the Fast combat support ships the US Navy is using it would be a good fit.

Japan needs to put a base on the Islands with refuling, radars and missile defenses, barracks and an airstrip. Once China gets hold of the Islands thats exactly what it will do as evidenced by its actions in the South China Sea.

Japan needs to move first while it has the chance.

MSDF can consider Yonaguni. That way it’ also backstops the defense of Taiwan.

If my memory is OK, Japan fueled the illegal invasion of Iraq under Bush in the pretext of WMD, illegal under the Japanese constitution. So, yes, we have tankers.

Just for your information:

A replenishment oiler is a naval auxiliary ship with fuel tanks and dry cargo holds, which can conduct underway replenishment on the high seas.

Japan has two classes of replenishment oilers( five replenishment ships):

1) Mashu-class

JS Mashu

JS Omi

2) Towada-class

JS Hamana

JS Tokiwa

JS Towada

An oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanker, is a merchant ship designed for the bulk transport of oil. There are two basic types of oil tankers: crude tankers and product tankers. Crude tankers move large quantities of unrefined crude oil from its point of extraction to refineries. For example, moving crude oil from oil wells in Nigeria to the refineries on the coast of the United States. Product tankers, generally much smaller, are designed to move refined products from refineries to points near consuming markets.

In Japan's case, they(Japan's SDF) want their own product tankers to move Bunker Fuel-fuel for ships- from refineries in Kyushu to Okinawa. The SDF wants to do this because they want to move fuel at faster pace and the civilian tankers take too long. As the article stated:

"The White Beach facility is currently supplied by commercial shippers who usually take two months to complete deliveries once a contract is agreed. Management of the fuel dump, however, has become difficult as the pace of naval operations increase"

By the way, US Navy does not have any product tankers or oil tankers instead they have replenishment oilers. They are dependent on civilian product tankers to move Bunker Fuel to bases.

In conclusion, the product tanker moves the fuel to base. Then, the replenishment oiler ship takes the fuel from the base to the ships at sea.

Good for Japan.