Satellite images have revealed that China is testing its “Shuiqiao” water bridge ships, specially designed barges that link together into floating causeways.
These vessels, when used in conjunction with civilian ferries, could enable Beijing to land troops and heavy equipment in Taiwan without relying on ports or traditional beaches.
While the system offers flexibility, it also presents significant vulnerabilities, raising questions about its effectiveness in a real-world conflict.
China’s Bridge Barges
For years, analysts speculated about the role of China’s unusual “bridge ships.” New satellite imagery appears to provide the answer.
The Chinese navy has been carrying out drills with these barges, practicing alongside civilian roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) ships.
Tom Shugart, a former US naval officer who closely tracks Chinese maritime activities, shared satellite images on X that show RoRo vessels docking with the barges.
PRC invasion barge update: testing of China's "Shuiqiao" LPU composite RORO bridge continued off the southern coast near Zhanjiang on 3/24.
This image shows a new participant, a RoRo cargo ship called Shun Long Hai. pic.twitter.com/xtHanvls2h
— Tom Shugart (@tshugart3) March 24, 2025
The images reveal ferries using their bow and stern ramps to connect with the bridge platforms, which were chained together to form a long structure reaching the shore. His findings match long-standing concerns that these ships are designed for a Taiwan invasion scenario.
Military experts have long suspected that the barges were built with Taiwan in mind. Their design suggests they could allow civilian ferries and military transports to unload directly onto a temporary floating bridge, bypassing the need for a proper port. Naval News, which has also examined the exercises, described the vessels as a “Path to Taiwan.”
The recent drills took place near Nansan Island, beginning in late February. Three barges were spotted positioned together, forming a chain stretching to the shoreline.
They remained there until March 22, during which at least two civilian ferries docked and practiced unloading. Shortly afterward, the ships moved north to Donghai Island, where similar operations continued.
What makes this more striking is the blending of military and civilian resources.
China has long prepared to use civilian ferries to move troops and equipment, a practice that could significantly boost its ability to stage a cross-strait landing.
Shugart also pointed out that the RoRo ship Shun Long Hai, one of the vessels seen in the exercise, was built in the same shipyard as the bridge barges themselves, suggesting deliberate coordination in their design and purpose.
The exercises may not mean an invasion is imminent, but they underline how seriously China is preparing for the possibility.
By pairing specially built bridge ships with civilian transports, Beijing is developing a system that could help overcome Taiwan’s biggest natural advantage: the difficulty of landing large forces across the strait.
How China’s ‘Water Bridge’ Ships Work?
China has been quietly building a new class of special barges that naval experts say could play a critical role in any attempt to invade Taiwan.
These vessels, known as Shuiqiao or “water bridge” ships, are designed to link together into a floating causeway that stretches up to 2,700 feet. Such a structure would enable large numbers of troops, tanks, and supplies to be transported directly from ships offshore onto land, thereby bypassing the need for a port or a traditional beach landing.
Military analysts have long suspected the purpose of these unusual ships, and recent satellite imagery has provided new insights.
According to a US Naval War College assessment, the Shuiqiao class comes in three different sizes: Shuiqiao 110 LPU, Shuiqiao 135 LPU, and Shuiqiao 185 LPU, with the numbers referring to their length in meters. Together, they form a modular system that functions like a floating pier.
Each barge has a long road span that extends from the bow, while the aft end features an open platform for ships to dock and unload. Some variants are equipped with jack-up pillars that can lower into the seabed to stabilize the structure, even in rough weather. This allows them to act as a pier for cargo ships to unload heavy vehicles, such as tanks and trucks.
The system works in stages. The smallest vessel, Shuiqiao 110, connects directly to the shore by lowering a Bailey bridge. The mid-sized Shuiqiao 135 links the smaller ship to the largest vessel, Shuiqiao 185, which serves as a stable docking point further offshore.
Each ship can extend the bridge farther from the coast, and with sea legs providing extra stability, the entire chain forms a floating causeway capable of handling significant weight.
Recent Chinese drills suggest that this system could be used to offload a heavy arms battalion of approximately 150 vehicles in 40 to 60 minutes, utilizing five offload points. However, the process is not seamless.
Once one ship unloads, it must depart before another can take its place. That means the overall daily capacity is still uncertain and depends on how efficiently the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) can manage the sequence of operations.
Strategic Implications
The Shuiqiao system addresses one of China’s most significant military challenges: finding a way to deploy large forces to Taiwan.
The island’s geography and well-prepared defenses make a conventional amphibious assault risky. Taiwan’s western beaches, which are most suitable for landings, are also heavily fortified.
By contrast, the barges would allow the PLA to choose less obvious landing sites, including rocky stretches of coast or river estuaries. This could stretch Taiwan’s defenses and complicate its planning.
But there are also limitations. The barges are large, slow, and highly vulnerable to attack from the air, sea, or land-based missiles.
Their success would depend on China’s ability to suppress Taiwan’s long-range artillery, coastal defenses, and missile systems. If the first barge in the chain, the Shuiqiao 110, were destroyed, it is unclear whether the rest of the system could still function effectively.
A Growing Fleet
Satellite images indicate that at least five new Shuiqiao barges are under construction at Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI) on Longxue Island, a facility central to China’s naval expansion.
GSI has produced other unusual vessels in recent years, including a large uncrewed surface ship and a light aircraft carrier. The new barges show the shipyard’s role in advancing China’s military capabilities through civil-military integration.
Observers have compared the Shuiqiao system to the Mulberry Harbors built by the Allies during World War II for the Normandy invasion. Those temporary harbors allowed troops and equipment to be landed on the French coast without first capturing a port.
Similarly, China’s barges could give the PLA the flexibility to land forces where Taiwan least expects them.
Civil-Military Fusion At Work
The Shuiqiao system is not an isolated project. It is part of China’s broader strategy of civil-military fusion, which ensures that civilian assets can quickly be converted for military use. Roll-on/roll-off ferries, for example, are designed with reinforced ramps and decks to accommodate the transportation of heavy equipment. Although they operate as commercial vessels, they can be mobilized by the PLA in times of crisis.
In fact, China has already been observed practicing the loading and unloading of tanks and vehicles from civilian ferries.
This blending of civilian and military functions creates additional challenges for Taiwan and its partners. Civilian ferries might appear non-threatening in peacetime, but could quickly become part of an invasion force. Coupled with the Shuiqiao barges, they enable China to deliver heavy equipment directly to roads and inland areas of Taiwan.
Why It Matters?
For Taiwan, these developments present a serious concern. Its defense strategy has long assumed that China would try to land on a few predictable beaches.
The Shuiqiao barges make that assumption less reliable. By enabling landings at multiple, less-defended sites, they increase uncertainty for Taiwan’s military planners.
For China, the barges represent a critical capability that has been missing from its amphibious operations. While it still faces the challenge of protecting such vulnerable assets in a real war, the fact that these ships are being built and tested demonstrates Beijing’s determination to prepare for a cross-strait operation.
The Shuiqiao system may not yet be perfect, but it is a significant step toward overcoming the logistical barriers of an amphibious assault.
It underscores China’s continued investment in tools that would make an invasion of Taiwan more feasible in the future, even as the risks remain high.
- Shubhangi Palve is a defense and aerospace journalist. Before joining the EurAsian Times, she worked for ET Prime. She has over 15 years of extensive experience in the media industry, spanning print, electronic, and online domains.
- Contact the author at shubhapalve (at) gmail.com
