TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — China is said to be building a fleet of barges with road bridges or piers extending from the bow that facilitate the unloading of tanks and other materiel to attempt an invasion of Taiwan.
Naval News, an online publication based in Europe, reported that three to five of the barges are being built at China’s Guangzhou Shipyard International on Longxue Island. The extended road bridges are estimated to be up to 120 meters long.
This makes them long enough to “reach a coastal road or hard surface beyond a beach,” according to the report. It added the aft ends of the barges have platforms that allow other ships to dock and unload.
The article compares the barges to those built by the Allies for the Normandy invasions during World War II. It adds they are unlikely to be for commercial use.
Quoting defense analyst Damien Symon, Naval News said the barges seemed designed to dock with dual-purpose civilian ferries, which would be used in a putative invasion of Taiwan.
Citing “multiple sources,” the report said the barges would give China the ability to land tanks and military forces at places that were previously considered unsuitable. This would be a game changer as Taiwan would be prepared to defend ports and similar sites.
“Instead of relying on Taiwanese ports, China can now sail its own mobile port across the straits,” the article concludes.