Overview
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University says construction has begun on the Deep-Sea All-Weather Resident Floating Research Facility, with an operational target around 2028.
- Design documents signed in December 2024 outline a 138-by-85-metre twin-hull platform with a deck 45 metres above the waterline, quarters for 238 people for about four months, and a reported 15-knot transit speed.
- Project researchers describe metamaterial sandwich bulkheads intended to protect critical compartments from nuclear shockwaves, citing simulations that cut structural movement by 58.53% and peak stresses by 14.25%.
- Materials for the project reference GJB 1060.1-1991, described as a Chinese military standard for nuclear-blast resistance, reinforcing concerns about potential dual-use.
- Analysts say the platform’s 120-day endurance and mobility could extend China’s presence to remote or disputed waters such as the South China Sea, though officials present it as civilian science infrastructure.