An image shows a Chinese commercial roll-on/roll-off (RO/RO) ferry connected to a temporary dock via a barge with jack-up supports. Satellite imagery previously showed multiple similar but different jack-up barges in various stages of construction at a shipyard in southeastern China. The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has increasingly demonstrated its ability to use ostensibly non-military maritime assets to support amphibious operations, particularly a possible invasion of Taiwan.
The photo appears to have circulated on social media earlier today, but the exact location and time it was taken is unclear. Independent naval analyst HI Sutton, for naval newsThe construction of a new jack-up barge by Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI), located on Longxue Island, southeast of Guangzhou city, was first reported last week. GSI is a subsidiary of the state-owned China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC).
Description of PLA methods for beach landing testing and training. The vessel connecting the ferry to the pontoon is not one of the recently unveiled new designs, but is clearly related in its overall concept. From harmless remote sensing satellite/Wb. pic.twitter.com/Ni0PQAr5lF
— Alex Luck (@AlexLuck9) January 14, 2025
Using a jack-up barge as the head of a temporary dock or causeway makes sense because the stanchions provide valuable additional stability. This, in turn, will provide an additional margin of safety. Last year, the U.S. military briefly used a system of temporary docks in an attempt to help increase the flow of humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip, highlighting the potential vulnerability of such structures to severe weather. After less than two weeks of operation, a storm damaged the terminal, which had no jack-up barges and took more than a week to return to service. Bad weather has since continued to plague its operations.
The Chinese barge seen in pictures circulating online now has at least two protruding jack-up legs at one end, but it’s unclear whether there are additional supports elsewhere. This is markedly different from what has been seen in recent satellite images of the Longxuedao Guangzhou Shipyard International Shipyard, where barges with four, six and eight jack-up legs can be seen. At least some of these barges have their own built-in ramps, and in some cases a temporary dock/causeway system may not be needed at all. This also makes it faster and easier to set up these ship-to-shore nodes.
China is building at least six barges that can serve as mobile docks and are designed to give the People’s Liberation Army the ability to conduct amphibious assaults on Taiwan. These barges were similar to those built at Port Sand for the Norman invasion. pic.twitter.com/664NdDrqXo
— Edward Conard (@EdwardConard) January 13, 2025
It is important to note that jack-up barges are nothing new, nor are their use in conjunction with temporary dock/causeway systems. A particularly famous military example was the use of the so-called Mulberry Harbor by the Allies after the invasion of Normandy, France, during World War II.
The PLA itself has been demonstrating its capabilities for at least a decade using semi-submersible and jack-up barges as intermodal nodes between ships, including ostensibly commercial ro-ro ferries and temporary docks/causeways. Some jack-up barges used in previous experiments and exercises look very similar to those seen in images now circulating on social media. This raises the possibility that the “new” photo was taken not too long ago.
The equipment that is irreversible is still the same. そりゃまあ使がてね.ようになれば说は不了ですが.
きっちりRegular analysis is necessary. pic.twitter.com/sRXcH6WM8S— おsugarwsnbn (@sugar_wsnbn) January 14, 2025
It is also worth noting that GSI’s shipyard on Longxue Island is best known for producing large commercial vessels, including semi-submersible heavy-lift vessels and jack-up platforms, although it also produces military vessels. Additionally, last year, GSI unveiled a still very curious ship with a large open flight deck, but with a commercial feel rather than military markings, as seen in the social media post below, which you can read more about here .
The new jack-up barge being built by Guangzhou Shipyard International may be ostensibly non-military. At the same time, the presence of integration ramps further demonstrates that ship-to-shore connectors have clear military applications. Regardless, it all highlights the delicate and often non-existent lines between the PLA and Chinese commercial and civilian enterprises. As already noted, over the years the Chinese Navy has increasingly utilized ro-ro ferries and other commercial maritime assets in amphibious exercises.
The Chinese Navy has been steadily and significantly expanding the size and scope of its organic amphibious warfare fleet, but commercial capabilities are clearly still seen as providing valuable additional capabilities. Although ships built to commercial standards would be more vulnerable to attack, the added capabilities would still be very useful in supporting an invasion of Taiwan, especially after the initial bridgehead is established. The Chinese navy could use hybrid civilian-military amphibious forces to conduct future military operations elsewhere, as well as disaster relief and humanitarian assistance activities at home and abroad. The People’s Liberation Army also uses commercial roll-on/roll-off ferries in the South China Sea for daily peacetime maritime logistics.
“The People’s Republic of China [People’s Republic of China’s] In recent years, the amphibious fleet has focused on purchasing a small number of ocean-going dock landing ships [landing platform dock] and LHA [amphibious assault] ship. According to the Pentagon’s latest annual report on China’s military developments, released in December, there is no sign that China is currently significantly increasing its number of tank landing ships and medium-sized landing craft. “Although the PLA has not invested in building the large number of landing ships and medium-sized landing craft that analysts believe will be needed for the PLA to launch a large-scale attack on Taiwan, it is possible that the PLA has assessed that it has sufficient amphibious capabilities and has mitigated the shortfall by investing in other operational capabilities. , such as civilian transport ships and rotary-wing assets, to bridge this gap. The PLA may be confident in the Chinese shipbuilding industry’s vast ability to produce the necessary ship-to-shore connectors relatively quickly.
“Offshore capabilities like floating causeways will be a key capability in an invasion of Taiwan, allowing the PLA to bypass damaged or sabotaged ports and harbors through independent, repositionable offshore loading and unloading capabilities.” Independent A report released by the China Maritime Research Institute last year explained. “At least until 2030, the PLA’s reserve civilian merchant fleet may not be able to provide the critical amphibious landing capabilities or maritime logistics capabilities needed to support a large-scale cross-strait invasion of Taiwan in an austere or challenging environment. That is, if the current As training and exercise trends continue, the PLA may be able to effectively utilize civilian sealift on a sufficiently large scale to support major amphibious operations by the mid-2030s.
“In a first wave of attacks, the PLA Navy’s traditional amphibious assault ships could carry about one heavy brigade’s worth of equipment (although likely spread among more light amphibious brigades) and about 21,000 troops.” Center for a New American Security (CNAS) think tank Tom Shugart, adjunct senior fellow at war on the rocks Back in 2022, “In my calculations, I only considered ferries owned by companies known as the Maritime Militia Strategic Support Fleet, such as the Bohai Ferry Company, or companies whose ships had participated in previous military exercises. Ferries. These ferries can carry the equipment of more than two additional heavy brigades, of which amphibious vehicles can be transported directly to the beach via modified ramps, while other vehicles can be transported via temporary beach causeways or occupied harbors. Or capture ports that could be used by China’s military vehicle carriers, which can transport equipment for at least five heavy brigades.
3c. …if China could build a temporary dock for their PLA-related vehicle-only carriers, or capture a port, they could deliver 5 more brigades on a single voyage. pic.twitter.com/3LdBIF5nH1
— Tom Shugart (@tshugart3) October 12, 2022
There remain serious concerns that the People’s Liberation Army may launch a military intervention in Taiwan by the end of the century. However, the U.S. military has recently downplayed the likelihood that China’s armed forces could successfully launch such an operation before 2027, or even earlier. U.S. authorities have long said this is the year that Chinese President Xi Jinping directs the People’s Liberation Army to prepare for action in the Taiwan Strait.
“The People’s Liberation Army often points out shortcomings in its troops’ combat and command capabilities in state media. These criticisms guide China’s modernization efforts,” said a report on China’s military power released by the Pentagon in December. “Despite rapid progress, the force has yet to demonstrate the type and scale of complex urban warfare or long-distance logistics capabilities that operations against Taiwan or major contingencies overseas may require.”
“When we look at these operational challenges that the People’s Liberation Army is seeking to address, their specific goal is to be ready and confident that they can conduct a brief and violent invasion of Taiwan at an acceptable cost, but they are not there today,” said the head of India – Eli Ratner, assistant secretary of defense for Pacific Security Affairs, said at an event hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) think tank that same month. “They’re working hard to get there. … But it’s unclear if they’re any closer than they have been in years past.
The Chinese Navy will of course only continue to increase its use of commercial capabilities, including jack-up barges and roll-off ferries, to enhance the amphibious capabilities required for Taiwan intervention, which may also be valuable for operations elsewhere.
Contact the author: joe@twz.com
