Many have dismissed Chinese threats to invade Taiwan as saber-rattling. Recent imagery, however, suggests that the risk of invasion is very real.  The images show that the Chinese are building a fleet of “invasion barges” apparently designed to facilitate an amphibious assault on Taiwan. The self-propelled barges, built in several sizes and configurations, feature jack-up cylinder legs and long “Bailey Bridge” style bow ramps.

Once a barge is close ashore, the jack-up cylinder legs can be lowered, lifting the barge out of the water to create a secure pier platform.  With the bow bridge ramp lowered the barges could provide docks for China’s large fleet of civilian ferries. China’s roll-on/roll-off (RORO) ferries are built to carry military vehicles including heavy main battle tanks. They are exercised in this role regularly. The new barges could provide a unique way to offload large numbers of tanks, trucks and other heavy equipment directly onto Taiwanese roads.

H I  Sutton, writing in Naval News, broke the story. He observes that the traditional view is there are only a small number of beaches on the main island of Taiwan suitable for amphibious landings and these could be heavily defended.  It has been assumed that any attempt to take the islands by force would mean landing in predictable places. These new barges change that.

The extreme reach of the Bailey Bridges means that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could land at sites previously considered unsuitable. They can land across rocky, or soft, beaches, delivering the tanks directly to firmer ground or a coastal road. This allows China to pick new landing sites and complicate attempts to organize defenses. Instead of relying on Taiwanese ports, China could now sail its own mobile port across the straits.

The barges are reminiscent of the Mulberry Harbours built for the allied invasion of Normandy during World War Two. Like those, these have been built extremely quickly and to novel designs.

Dr Emma Salisbury, Sea Power Research Fellow at the Council on Geostrategy, told Naval News that “Any invasion of Taiwan from the mainland would require a large number of ships to transport personnel and equipment across the Strait quickly, particularly land assets like armoured vehicles”. These mobile piers appear particularly suited to an invasion. Dr Salisbury continues “As preparation for an invasion, or at least to give China the option as leverage, I would expect to see a build-up of construction of ships that could accomplish this transportation”.

Sutton also notes that the construction of specialist barges like this is one of the indicators defense analysts watching to provide early warning of a potential invasion. It is possible that these ships can be explained away as having a civilian role. But the construction of so many, much larger than similar civilian vessels seen before, makes this implausible. There are several distinct designs of these barges which also points away from a commercial order. These vessels are only suited to moving large amounts of heavy equipment ashore in a short period of time. They appear greatly over-spec for civilians uses.

Satellite photos of Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI) on Longxue Island show at least 3 but likely 5 or more of the “invasion barges” completed or under construction.

In the video below H I Sutton discusses the design and potential deployment of these barges.

First Sighting Of China’s Huge Invasion Barges – Quick Analysis