Our Best Look Yet At China's New ‘Invasion Barges'
New imagery has appeared of one of China's new 'invasion barges,' which involves a temporary pier that can be connected to other vessels via a barge, or series of barges, with jack-up supports for more stability. The development of jack-up barges is widely seen as part of preparations for a possible invasion of Taiwan by the People's Republic of China. At the same time, they also reflect the growing use of ostensibly non-military maritime assets to support amphibious operations by the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN).
A new video showing three of the jack-up barges deployed in tandem on a still-unidentified beach began to circulate recently on social media channels.
Fleet Of Special Barges Suitable For Taiwan Landings via WeChat Channels@观诲长郎 https://t.co/BFjuxQjG5R pic.twitter.com/3evM4JhHFv
— 笑脸男人 (@lfx160219) March 13, 2025
What seems to be the first look on the ground at the special barges built by GSI in Guangzhou. These designs are tied to amphibious operations in support of a notional invasion of Taiwan. Screenshots from footage shared by @lfx160219 on Twitter.
— Alex Luck (@alxluck.bsky.social) 2025-03-13T08:26:30.865Z
Meanwhile, recent satellite imagery from Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI) on Longxue Island, just southeast of the city of Guangzhou, confirms that three of the jack-up barges that were seen under construction there have departed. This development was identified by Tom Shugart, an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) think tank.
In this 9 March image, we can see that three of the LPTs have left (numbers 6, 2, and 1 from the previous thread).As such, one 4-, one 6-, and one 8-pillar LPT have departed, with one of each still under construction. pic.twitter.com/fXFOOBu302
— Tom Shugart (@tshugart3) March 13, 2025
Shugart refers to the barges as T-LPTs, for civilian-crewed auxiliary landing platform — transfer. According to his analysis, the three barges in question left Longxue Island sometime after March 9. Another three are still under construction at the GSI facility.
'After seeing the departure of these vessels, I went back and observed AIS data to see if the vessels were using AIS,' Shugart wrote on X, in reference to the automatic identification system that uses transceivers on ships to monitor their movements. 'What I saw was indications of tugs getting these ships underway, but no AIS from the ships themselves, unlike other commercial vessels.'
Clearly, China either doesn't want these vessels to be tracked or they are actually PLAN vessels. There is a precedent for the former, with dual-purpose ferries that take part in Chinese military exercises also not using AIS.
Most interesting, perhaps, is the way that the jack-up barges are deployed. Initially, analysts predicted that the three different-sized barges would likely be used independently, creating different-size mobile causeways leading to the beachhead. In the latest imagery, the three barges are coupled together to create one long causeway. Shugart calculates that this should be around 850 meters (930 yards) long.
Images from Chinese social media show newly constructed 'invasion barges' operating at a beach in the South China Sea, SAR imagery helps pin point the location & the ongoing amphibious landing exercise ! read more about the barges here – https://t.co/NjHVzZUohnpic.twitter.com/JfGH5lV2Kn
— Damien Symon (@detresfa_) March 13, 2025
Having much longer reach means that the causeway can be extended farther out to sea and into deeper water, where loads can be transferred onto them off of larger displacement vessels.
The latest development follows a previous image that appeared in January, showing a Chinese commercial roll-on/roll-off (RO/RO) ferry linked to a temporary pier via a different type of barge, with at least two — and possibly more — jack-up legs. TWZ provided an analysis of this earlier image at the time.
An illustration of the approach for PLA over the beach-landing tests and training. The vessel connecting the ferry to the pontoons is not one of the recently revealed new designs, but obviously related in overall concept. Via 人畜无害遥感星/Wb. pic.twitter.com/Ni0PQAr5lF
— Alex Luck (@AlexLuck9) January 14, 2025
Before that, satellite imagery had emerged, showing multiple jack-up barges in various stages of construction at the GSI shipyard.
Analysis of GEOINT on 08 January 2025 shows new possible amphibious operations support vessels at the Guangzhou shipyard in China. https://t.co/epfzHD3DaaSpotlight Report – Critical intelligence delivered to your inbox. https://t.co/n0XDPQMZj2#GEOINT #China #Guangzhou pic.twitter.com/EElgZv2rM2
— AllSource Analysis (@AllSourceA) January 10, 2025
As we have noted in the past, there is a precedent for these kinds of temporary piers or causeways in a military context.
Only recently, the U.S. military made brief use of a temporary pier system to help increase the flow of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. However, a squall broke apart that pier, putting it out of action for a while and demonstrating the potential vulnerability of such structures to severe weather.
Where the Chinese system differs, however, is in its use of struts, which literally jack the barge up, making it more stable and resilient to bad weather and able to remain in action in heavier sea states. This should also result in a much higher throughput of cargo, vehicles, and personnel. On the other hand, the construction also makes for a notably large target and very static high-value target, suggesting that it would be most relevant after an initial landing, supporting the arrival of mass follow-on forces and supplies after a degree of tactical stability has been established.
As can be seen in the new video, the barge closest to the beach has four prominent jack-up legs, the second barge has six, and the third and final one appears to have eight.
At the same time, jack-up barges are not new, with perhaps the best-known military example being the employment of so-called Mulberry harbors by Allied forces following the D-Day landings in Normandy, France, during World War II.
China, meanwhile, has at least a decade of experience using both semi-submersible and jack-up barges to connect ships, including ostensibly commercial RO/RO ferries, and temporary piers/causeways.
By now, there's little doubt about the size and scope of the PLAN's amphibious warfare aspirations and the fact that it expects to rely on commercial capabilities as well as distinctly military vessels.
Having access to this kind of additional capacity is widely seen in the context of supporting an invasion of Taiwan, although it has relevance in many other potential scenarios. The advantages of a hybrid military/civilian amphibious force could be leveraged for future military operations elsewhere in the Indo-Pacific, as well as for disaster relief and humanitarian assistance activities.
The importance of civilian vessels to China's expanding amphibious capabilities is also underlined in the Pentagon's most recent annual report on Chinese military developments, released in December last year. This states:
'Although the PLAN has not invested in the large number of landing ships and medium landing craft that analysts believe the PLA would need for a large-scale assault on Taiwan, it is possible the PLA assesses it has sufficient amphibious capacity and has mitigated shortfalls through investment in other operational capabilities, such as civilian lift vessels and rotary-wing assets to address this gap. The PLA may have confidence in the PRC's shipbuilding industry's massive capacity to produce the necessary ship-to-shore connectors relatively quickly.'
The value of temporary piers in this context has also not gone unnoticed.
'An over-the-shore capability like the floating causeway will be a critical capability in a Taiwan invasion, giving the PLA the capability to bypass damaged or sabotaged ports and harbors with an independent, relocatable off-shore loading and unloading capability,' a report from the independent China Maritime Studies Institute published last year explains. 'At least through 2030, the PLA's reserve civilian merchant fleet is probably unable to provide significant amphibious landing capabilities or the maritime logistics in austere or challenging environments necessary to support a large-scale, cross-strait invasion of Taiwan. That said, if current trends in training and exercises continue, the PLA may be able to effectively leverage civil maritime shipping on a large enough scale to support a major amphibious operation by the mid-2030s.'
Why a Chinese Mulberry concept makes sense, if they are serious about preparing for a possible invasion of Taiwan. Worth saying again that a full scale invasion would be the most complex operation in history, especially against the spectre of US and poss Japanese intervention.
— Thord Are Iversen (@thelookout.bsky.social) 2025-03-13T09:47:57.647Z
An invasion or some other kind of military intervention against Taiwan on this kind of timeline is something that U.S. military officials have warned about for some time now. In the past, it had been suggested that Beijing might be able to launch such an operation by 2027, if not before, although U.S. officials have since stepped back somewhat from this more pessimistic analysis.
Nevertheless, the broad consensus in U.S. military circles is that Beijing remains committed to 'unifying' Taiwan with the mainland and that the Chinese military is working toward achieving the capabilities required to do this, however long that might take.
The continued development of jack-up barges suggests that these — as well as RO/RO ferries — will likely have an important role to play in any future Taiwan intervention. On the other hand, they are also relevant for a host of other potential applications as the PLAN continues to rely on commercial capabilities to boost its amphibious capacity.
Contact the author: thomas@thedrive.com
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
28 minutes ago
- Newsweek
China Challenges US Sea Power With Two Aircraft Carriers in West Pacific
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. For the first time ever, two Chinese aircraft carriers operated simultaneously in the western Pacific beyond a strategic island defense line meant to keep China's naval forces in check. Chinese naval activities in relevant waters are "fully consistent with international law and international practices," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said at press conference on Monday. Newsweek has also reached out to the Chinese Defense Ministry for comment by email. Why It Matters The Chinese navy is the world's largest by hull count, with more than 370 vessels, including two aircraft carriers—CNS Liaoning and CNS Shandong—in active service. This growing fleet enables China to expand its military reach and presence in the Pacific Ocean. Under a containment strategy, the United States has established three island chains across the western and central Pacific by using its own territories, as well as those of its allies and partners, in an effort to restrict China's naval access to the broader Pacific during wartime. On Saturday, Japan—a U.S. treaty ally—announced that the Liaoning had become China's first aircraft carrier to be spotted sailing in waters east of the Second Island Chain, which links Japan to New Guinea, north of Australia, via Guam—America's westernmost territory. What To Know A second Chinese naval task group—consisting of the Shandong and four other vessels—was tracked operating in the Philippine Sea on Saturday, approximately 340 miles southeast of Miyako Island in Japan's southwestern waters, the Japanese Defense Ministry announced. The Chinese vessels deployed alongside the aircraft carrier—which has served in China's navy since 2019—included one Type 055 destroyer, two Type 054A frigates, and one Type 901 fast combat support ship, according to hull numbers provided by Japan's military. It remains unclear when and where the Shandong and its task group breached the First Island Chain—formed by Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines, west of the Philippine Sea. They may have passed through the Luzon Strait, which lies between Taiwan and the Philippines. The Liaoning, which has been tracked underway since late May, was first spotted operating in the East China Sea before transiting the Miyako Strait—a key waterway in the First Island Chain near the Japanese island of Miyako—toward the Philippine Sea. The Shandong-led naval task group was later tracked moving northeast, reaching north of Okinotorishima on Monday. The island, located over 1,000 miles south of Japan's capital, Tokyo, is the country's southernmost territory. The Shandong conducted flight operations with its fighter jets and helicopters within Japan's 230-mile-wide exclusive economic zone (EEZ) around the island, according to a Japanese Defense Ministry map. The carrier was accompanied by a Type 052D destroyer and a Type 054A frigate. All countries have the right to conduct freedom of navigation and overflight within an EEZ, a maritime area beyond and adjacent to a nation's territorial sea—which extends up to 13.8 miles from the coastline—according to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The dual aircraft carrier deployment is just another example of the Chinese navy expanding its reach in international waters, Tom Shugart, a former U.S. Navy submariner and adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, told Newsweek in an email. "In the event of a conflict, a PLA Navy that is the U.S. Navy's equal is not one that fights in the Western Pacific—it's one that challenges for control of the Central Pacific," Shugart said, referring to the official name of the Chinese navy, the People's Liberation Army Navy. Chinese aircraft carriers CNS Liaoning, right, and CNS Shandong carry out a dual carrier formation exercise for the first time in the South China Sea in late October 2024. Chinese aircraft carriers CNS Liaoning, right, and CNS Shandong carry out a dual carrier formation exercise for the first time in the South China Sea in late October 2024. Chen Mengxi/Xinhua via AP "I think the [dual aircraft carrier deployment] is interesting, but also unsurprising in the larger context of evolving Chinese blue water operations," Australia-based naval analyst Alex Luck said in an email to Newsweek, referring to a navy capable of operating globally. "I would expect [the Chinese navy] to schedule repeats and increasing complexity for such future activities," Luck said—especially once CNS Fujian, China's third aircraft carrier, which is yet to be commissioned, becomes operational with a more capable carrier-based aviation unit. What People Are Saying Tom Shugart, a former U.S. Navy submariner, told Newsweek: "China is now, by far, the world's dominant maritime power by every measure other than sheer naval tonnage (U.S. Navy ships are, on average, still larger), and its maritime interests are global in nature. That we also see global Chinese naval power should come as no surprise." Australia-based naval analyst Alex Luck told Newsweek: "My personal view is that China does consider their carrier force as an important element in adding strategic space across the Pacific, aimed at making American deployments near the Chinese main more challenging." What Happens Next The Chinese navy may conduct its second dual aircraft carrier operation as the Liaoning and the Shandong operate around the Second Island Chain, a Newsweek map shows. The two aircraft carriers conducted their first joint operation last October in the South China Sea.
an hour ago
Filipino forces and villagers struggle to live in China's shadow in disputed waters
WEST YORK ISLAND, South China Sea -- Overwhelmed after setting foot for the first time on a far-flung but picturesque island in the disputed South China Sea, a Filipino army official knelt to kiss the shore. She held a small Philippine flag that fluttered in the breeze. 'This is just so beautiful,' Philippines military spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said of West York Island, one of nine islands, reefs and atolls occupied by Filipino forces in the long-contested waters. 'This solidifies our resolve to fight for this place whatever happens.' The 18.6-hectare (46-acre) droplet-shaped island, called Likas by Filipinos, could easily become an eco-tourism draw in tropical Asia with its powdery white-sand beaches, turquoise waters and giant sea turtle sanctuaries. Padilla expressed hope it could someday be opened to Filipino travelers and tourists from across the world. But that longstanding aspiration by Philippine officials has been stymied by a tangle of territorial conflicts involving a militarily superior China. Beijing claims virtually the entire South China Sea, a vital global trade route with rich undersea deposits of gas and oil. It has increasingly flexed its military might, including its navy — the largest in the world — to strengthen its grip on a strategic waterway it says it has owned since ancient times. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan contest China's expansive claims with their own, and the territorial stand-offs have increasingly flared into cat-and-mouse confrontations at sea in recent years. The long-simmering disputes are also a delicate fault line in the regional rivalry between Beijing and Washington. Both former President Joe Biden and his successor, Donald Trump, have condemned China's growing aggression in the contested waters, including its coast guard's use of powerful water cannons, blinding military-grade lasers and dangerous sea maneuvers against the coast guard and navy of the Philippines, Washington's oldest treaty ally in Asia. Under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who took office in mid-2022, the Philippines has intensified a campaign to expose China's increasingly assertive actions by capturing them in video and photographs. The images have then been made public in the hope that international pressure would prompt Beijing to back down to avoid damage to its reputation. The Philippine military invited a small group of journalists, including two from The Associated Press, in a dayslong naval patrol of the South China Sea territories claimed by Manila and on visits to navy and marine forces deployed to guard them. During the patrol, which ended over the weekend, the BRP Andres Bonifacio navy ship carrying the journalists warned a number of Chinese coast guard ships and suspected Chinese militia vessels by two-way radio to move away from Philippines-claimed waters. The Chinese ships responded by asserting their sovereignty in the offshore region without undertaking any provocative actions. On West York Island, two Filipino marines in camouflage uniforms stood guard with M4 assault rifles under a Philippine flag. One used binoculars to scan the surrounding waters for Chinese or Vietnamese ships passing by from a distance. One of the farthest islands in the disputed waters from the nearest Philippine province of Palawan, West York is a difficult and risky post, where Filipino forces see nothing beyond the small island but sea. Military personnel can occasionally call their loved ones during their two-month deployment, but the internet connection is spotty, especially during the typhoon season that starts in June, according to military personnel on the island. They grow eggplants, okra and chili peppers and raise goats and chickens to augment food provisions delivered by navy ships from Palawan. There is a makeshift basketball court to help while away off-duty time and ease the feeling of isolation. 'It's being away from your family,' Padilla said. 'At the end of the day, you go home to an empty room.' Marine Col. Joel Bonavente, who was among the visiting military officials, told AP that military personnel posted in the remote outpost get additional pay to compensate for the "hazard and loneliness.' On Thitu, the largest Philippines-claimed island, which lies west of West York, civilians have thrived for decades in a small fishing village alongside the military forces. An AP journalist who visited Thitu several years ago saw an island with only a few low-slung wooden and concrete buildings and a gravel airstrip that was being eroded by the constant pounding of waves. There were a few shanties mainlanders had moved to from Palawan in exchange for a monthly government provision of groceries, rice and cash in a bid to grow a civilian community. Dramatic infrastructure improvements have occurred through the years on the 37.2-hectare (92-acre) island, which now has a concrete runway, a huge aircraft hangar, a wharf, a storm shelter and concrete roads running through the fishing village, military encampments and a three-story coast guard surveillance center. A high school building is nearly finished near a seawater desalination facility. 'I want to stay on this island because my blood pressure remains stable without the wide selection of fatty food you find in the city like hamburgers,' said Nenita Bania, a 59-year-old villager who has lived with her husband on Thitu for 12 years. 'Lonely? Not really. It's not the case if you're with family,' she told the AP aboard an air force C-130 aircraft, as she and other villagers hitched a ride back to Thitu from Palawan province. Living in China's shadow in the disputed waters, however, has been challenging, said Larry Hugo, 47, who leads a group of at least 114 fishermen. More than a decade ago, China transformed seven disputed South China Sea reefs into island bases, where Chinese coast guard and navy ships can now refuel and obtain supplies for longer periods far from the Chinese mainland. One of China's artificial islands, Subi, has a military-grade runway and lies just 26 kilometers (16 miles) from Thitu. 'There were no Chinese ships before but now it's a big problem because they are all around our island,' Hugo said. 'They're guarding the reefs where we used to fish, and they block us so we can't venture far.' 'It's very dangerous,' he said. 'We have small boats and we may be run over and that'll be a big problem because we're far from civilization.'
San Francisco Chronicle
3 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Filipino forces and villagers struggle to live in China's shadow in disputed waters
WEST YORK ISLAND, South China Sea (AP) — Overwhelmed after setting foot for the first time on a far-flung but picturesque island in the disputed South China Sea, a Filipino army official knelt to kiss the shore. She held a small Philippine flag that fluttered in the breeze. 'This is just so beautiful,' Philippines military spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said of West York Island, one of nine islands, reefs and atolls occupied by Filipino forces in the long-contested waters. 'This solidifies our resolve to fight for this place whatever happens.' The 18.6-hectare (46-acre) droplet-shaped island, called Likas by Filipinos, could easily become an eco-tourism draw in tropical Asia with its powdery white-sand beaches, turquoise waters and giant sea turtle sanctuaries. Padilla expressed hope it could someday be opened to Filipino travelers and tourists from across the world. But that longstanding aspiration by Philippine officials has been stymied by a tangle of territorial conflicts involving a militarily superior China. Beijing claims virtually the entire South China Sea, a vital global trade route with rich undersea deposits of gas and oil. It has increasingly flexed its military might, including its navy — the largest in the world — to strengthen its grip on a strategic waterway it says it has owned since ancient times. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan contest China's expansive claims with their own, and the territorial stand-offs have increasingly flared into cat-and-mouse confrontations at sea in recent years. The long-simmering disputes are also a delicate fault line in the regional rivalry between Beijing and Washington. Both former President Joe Biden and his successor, Donald Trump, have condemned China's growing aggression in the contested waters, including its coast guard's use of powerful water cannons, blinding military-grade lasers and dangerous sea maneuvers against the coast guard and navy of the Philippines, Washington's oldest treaty ally in Asia. Under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who took office in mid-2022, the Philippines has intensified a campaign to expose China's increasingly assertive actions by capturing them in video and photographs. The images have then been made public in the hope that international pressure would prompt Beijing to back down to avoid damage to its reputation. The Philippine military invited a small group of journalists, including two from The Associated Press, in a dayslong naval patrol of the South China Sea territories claimed by Manila and on visits to navy and marine forces deployed to guard them. During the patrol, which ended over the weekend, the BRP Andres Bonifacio navy ship carrying the journalists warned a number of Chinese coast guard ships and suspected Chinese militia vessels by two-way radio to move away from Philippines-claimed waters. The Chinese ships responded by asserting their sovereignty in the offshore region without undertaking any provocative actions. On West York Island, two Filipino marines in camouflage uniforms stood guard with M4 assault rifles under a Philippine flag. One used binoculars to scan the surrounding waters for Chinese or Vietnamese ships passing by from a distance. One of the farthest islands in the disputed waters from the nearest Philippine province of Palawan, West York is a difficult and risky post, where Filipino forces see nothing beyond the small island but sea. Military personnel can occasionally call their loved ones during their two-month deployment, but the internet connection is spotty, especially during the typhoon season that starts in June, according to military personnel on the island. They grow eggplants, okra and chili peppers and raise goats and chickens to augment food provisions delivered by navy ships from Palawan. There is a makeshift basketball court to help while away off-duty time and ease the feeling of isolation. 'It's being away from your family,' Padilla said. 'At the end of the day, you go home to an empty room.' Marine Col. Joel Bonavente, who was among the visiting military officials, told AP that military personnel posted in the remote outpost get additional pay to compensate for the "hazard and loneliness.' On Thitu, the largest Philippines-claimed island, which lies west of West York, civilians have thrived for decades in a small fishing village alongside the military forces. An AP journalist who visited Thitu several years ago saw an island with only a few low-slung wooden and concrete buildings and a gravel airstrip that was being eroded by the constant pounding of waves. There were a few shanties mainlanders had moved to from Palawan in exchange for a monthly government provision of groceries, rice and cash in a bid to grow a civilian community. Dramatic infrastructure improvements have occurred through the years on the 37.2-hectare (92-acre) island, which now has a concrete runway, a huge aircraft hangar, a wharf, a storm shelter and concrete roads running through the fishing village, military encampments and a three-story coast guard surveillance center. A high school building is nearly finished near a seawater desalination facility. 'I want to stay on this island because my blood pressure remains stable without the wide selection of fatty food you find in the city like hamburgers,' said Nenita Bania, a 59-year-old villager who has lived with her husband on Thitu for 12 years. 'Lonely? Not really. It's not the case if you're with family,' she told the AP aboard an air force C-130 aircraft, as she and other villagers hitched a ride back to Thitu from Palawan province. Living in China's shadow in the disputed waters, however, has been challenging, said Larry Hugo, 47, who leads a group of at least 114 fishermen. More than a decade ago, China transformed seven disputed South China Sea reefs into island bases, where Chinese coast guard and navy ships can now refuel and obtain supplies for longer periods far from the Chinese mainland. One of China's artificial islands, Subi, has a military-grade runway and lies just 26 kilometers (16 miles) from Thitu. 'There were no Chinese ships before but now it's a big problem because they are all around our island,' Hugo said. 'They're guarding the reefs where we used to fish, and they block us so we can't venture far.' 'It's very dangerous,' he said. 'We have small boats and we may be run over and that'll be a big problem because we're far from civilization.'
