The Spratly Islands are fundamentally mound of sand in the middle of the South China Sea , some of them barely marvellous enough to reach above the water . But China is underworld - bent on make them inhabitable , even drawing up plans for floating energy and water works . It has nothing to do with the islands themselves and everything to do with the water around it .
The South China Sea is one of the most disputed areas of the world , with China , Vietnam , the Philippines , Taiwan , and Malaysia all claim various ball of it . The ocean encompasses valuable merchant vessels routes into Asia and holds vast amounts of untapped oil and gas military reserve . You calculate China want a ploughshare of that .
But there ’s a trouble for China , which is that the island it control are not real islands long inhabited by people . They ’re more like sandy atoll . That has n’t stopped China though , which come up with originative ways to bolster up their island . They’redumping Amandine Aurore Lucie Dupin onto reefsto make new islands andbuilding a military foundation rightin the middle of it all .
But to suffer a military base there , you require the great unwashed , and you need to somehow make these barren island inhabitable . That ’s where the floating sour grass come in . report from the Shiptec China 2014 exhibition , IHS Jane 360 has the detail on the float docks .
Two strain are under development . A base whole dwell of a towed multifunctional platform and a bridge . [ China Ship Scientific Research Center ] tell the platform can support the follow capabilities : docking for 1,000 - MT ships , alimony and repair station for fishing vessels , an electric - magnate plant , refreshful - water store and provision , desalinization of seawater , rain assemblage , and general entrepot of equipment and supplies .
A second platform variant is based on a semisubmersible vas that can move under its own might , but not over tenacious length . The platform can be used for light construction and sustenance of an island , such as compound sandbanks or remove reef . CSSRC name its additional capabilities as impermanent living quarters for construction crews , and waste water supply discussion . The bridge is unassailable enough to carry a 10 - tonne truck .
With floating docks in place , China could potentially settle the low islands much more chop-chop , reach them a hard claim to the disputed waters . As China date it , if life does n’t hand you islands , then you just have to build your own . [ IHN Jane ’s 360viaPopular Science ]
Top trope : Spratly Islands . NASA / Wikimedia Commons
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