BEIJING, Nov 22 — China is constructing what planners describe as the world’s first floating artificial island capable of surviving a nuclear blast, a project set to enter service within three years and potentially reshape the strategic balance in Asian waters. The steel structure, weighing 78,000 tonnes, is part of a national scientific infrastructure programme and is designed to operate autonomously for months at sea.
Officials say the Deep-Sea All-Weather Resident Floating Research Facility is being engineered as a self-sufficient research hub under the 14th Five-Year Plan. Shanghai Jiao Tong University, which heads the design work, said the twin-hull platform will support ocean observation, equipment trials and deep-sea resource exploration. “This is a major national infrastructure undertaking,” researchers at the university stated, noting the project’s timeline through 2028.
Plans indicate the platform will sustain 238 crew members for up to 120 days, cruise at 15 knots and remain functional through extreme weather conditions, including category-17 typhoons. Designs show the main deck will sit 45 metres above the waterline, giving the vessel stability in open ocean conditions and allowing it to function as a continuous sea-based laboratory.
Technical papers confirm the design employs nuclear-shock-resistant construction methods usually applied in the military sector. A November 4 publication by Professor Yang Deqing’s team said specialised compartments built to GJB 1060.1-1991 standards will contain the ship’s key navigation, communication and emergency-power systems. “The configuration ensures continuity under nuclear shock loads,” the authors wrote.
Instead of heavy steel armour, designers created a metamaterial panel composed of corrugated tubes with a negative Poisson’s ratio. Simulation data shows the 60-mm bulkhead reduces structural displacement by 58.5 per cent and peak stress by 14.25 per cent when absorbing a nuclear shock wave. Engineers argue the lighter structural system gives the platform greater operating range and efficiency.
Strategists believe its mobility could provide Beijing with a flexible presence in disputed waters, including the South China Sea, where permanent installations have drawn diplomatic protests. While Chinese planners describe the vessel as a scientific program supporting the blue economy, climate research and renewable marine energy, maritime analysts say the platform could be repurposed for command, surveillance or logistics roles. “Its endurance gives it utility beyond research,” one regional researcher said.
The programme arrives as China pursues deeper access to seabed minerals and offshore energy resources, while reinforcing its long-term presence across remote maritime zones. Supporters argue a floating island offers a less contentious option to expand activity at sea while broadening China’s global scientific footprint.
