BEIJING - The country's first aircraft carrier finished its maiden sea trial on Sunday and returned to port in Dalian, Northeast China's Liaoning province, domestic media reported.
At about 10:30 am, the carrier, which was known as the "Varyag" when at the Black Sea Shipyard in Ukraine, broke through a thick fog and appeared about 3 kilometers east of the docks of the Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co Ltd, which refitted the giant ship, according to the Beijing-based Mirror Evening News. At least seven tugboats guided the vessel to the dock, the report said.
Naval officers on the deck were seen "leisurely strolling", it added. The aircraft carrier sounded its horn three times as it approached the shipyard, exactly as it did when departing on Wednesday.
Early media reports cited unidentified military sources as saying that the vessel is supposed to be handed over to the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy around Aug 1 next year, which will be the PLA's 85th anniversary.
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