Dong Gong 401 Class (Shuiqiao-185 Class) Chinese Landing Platform Utility (LPU)
Dong Gong 401 Class
Landing Platform Utility (LPU)
Other
Basic Information
Name
Dong Gong 401 Class (Shuiqiao-185 Class) Chinese Landing Platform Utility (LPU)
Designation
Dong Gong 401 Class
Alternate Designation
Dong Gong 401 Class; Shuiqiao-185 Class
Equipment Type
Landing Platform Utility (LPU)
Manufacturer
CSSC Offshore & Marine Engineering (Group) Company Limited (COMEC)
Date of Introduction
2025
Description
The Dong Gong 401 Class (Shuiqiao-185 Class) Chinese Landing Platform Utility (LPU) is a type of "Jack-up barge” it has fold-down ramps to accommodate RO-RO ships berthing alongside. In addition to civilian RO-RO ships supporting the PLA, the ramps could accommodate amphibious landing ships such as Type-072 LSTs. Satellite and handheld images show large bumpers or fenders on either side of the barges to prevent vessels from mooring alongside the LPUs from colliding. The Dong Gong 401 Class LPU has L-shaped ramps that fold down from the port and starboard sides, with interior ramps that go to the upper bridge deck. Additionally, the Dong Gong 401 Class has a large fold-down stern ramp that can likely accommodate an RO-RO ship docking directly behind the barge. The Dong Gong 401 Class LPU stern ramp has a unique angled shape on its port side. This protrusion may accommodate a RO-RO vessel mooring perpendicular to the barge, or accommodate a large RO-RO Vehicle carrier that have distinctive angled loading ramps.
Variants
Dong Gong 403 Class (Shuiqiao-110 Class) Chinese Landing Platform Utility (LPU)
The Dong Gong 403 Class (Shuiqiao-110 Class) Chinese Landing Platform Utility (LPU) is a type of "Jack-up barge” with legs designed to push down into the sea floor and lift the barges out of the water, forming a raised, stable platform that is less subject to the influence of currents or wave action than floating causeways.
Dong Gong 402 Class (Shuiqiao-135 Class) Chinese Landing Platform Utility (LPU)
The Dong Gong 402 Class (Shuiqiao-135 Class) Chinese Landing Platform Utility (LPU) is a type of "Jack-up barge.” The Dong Gong 402 LPU has fold-down ramps to accommodate RO-RO ships berthing alongside. In addition to civilian RO-RO ships supporting the PLA, the ramps could accommodate amphibious landing ships such as Type-072 LSTs. Satellite and handheld images show large bumpers or fenders on either side of the barges to prevent vessels from mooring alongside the LPUs from colliding. The Dong Gong 402 Class LPU has L-shaped ramps that fold down from the port and starboard sides, with interior ramps that go to the upper bridge deck.
Dong Gong 401 Class (Shuiqiao-185 Class) Chinese Landing Platform Utility (LPU)
The Dong Gong 401 Class (Shuiqiao-185 Class) Chinese Landing Platform Utility (LPU) is a type of "Jack-up barge” has fold-down ramps to accommodate RO-RO ships berthing alongside. In addition to civilian RO-RO ships supporting the PLA, the ramps could accommodate amphibious landing ships such as Type-072 LSTs. Satellite and handheld images show large bumpers or fenders on either side of the barges to prevent vessels from mooring alongside the LPUs from colliding. The Dong Gong 401 Class LPU has L-shaped ramps that fold down from the port and starboard sides, with interior ramps that go to the upper bridge deck. Additionally, the Dong Gong 401 Class has a large fold-down stern ramp that can likely accommodate an RO-RO ship docking directly behind the barge. The Dong Gong 401 Class LPU stern ramp has a unique angled shape on its port side. This protrusion may accommodate a RO-RO vessel mooring perpendicular to the barge, or accommodate a large RO-RO Vehicle carrier that have distinctive angled loading ramps.
System
Alternative Designation
Dong Gong 401 Class; Shuiqiao-185 Class
Type
Landing Platform Utility (LPU)
Builder
CSSC Offshore & Marine Engineering (Group) Company Limited (COMEC)
Crew
INA
Jack-up Legs
8 x Jack-up Legs, each measuring 55 m in length.
Maximum Jack-up Leg Extension
30-32 m; Maximum operating depth will ultimately be determined by factors such as wave height and tidal range.
Bow Ramp Length
127.0 m
Bow Ramp Width
6.0 m
Placement
During placement, as the jack-up legs are cranked down into the sea floor to lift the barges out of the water, the barges flood their ballast tanks to make themselves heavier to ensure their jack-up legs are pressed firmly into the seabed. Once the barges are stabilized and their hulls are above the wave action, 125–130-meter Bailey trestle bridges are extended to connect the barges to each other to form a 820-meter (2690 feet) relocatable pier for offloading vehicles from civilian and military RO-RO vessels.
JLOTS Composition
The landing barges form up in a line with the Dong Gong 403 Class LPU taking up position closest to a beach, sea wall, or quay. The medium-sized barge, the Dong Gong 402 Class LPU, takes up position approximately 110-120 meters behind the Dong Gong 403 Class LPU. The Dong Gong 401 Class LPU takes up position farthest offshore, approximately 110-120 meters behind the Dong Gong 402 Class LPU.
Note
A close inspection of their configuration - and of the activity conducted during the first exercise - suggests that they are designed to directly interface with up to five deep sea ro/ro ships at one time. The medium and large barges each have two fold-down platforms, which appear to provide an apron to receive the stern loading ramps of up to four typical ro/ro ferries. The largest barge appears to be specially fitted to receive and offload another kind of ro/ro - the kind with a starboard quarter ramp, which is universally found on PCTCs. During the exercise, a diagonal-ramp ro/ro was indeed imaged alongside. The vast lane-meter capacity of a car carrier would be able to deliver hundreds of military vehicles per trip onto the jackup barge "pier," and all of this equipment could be driven down the line of barges and onto shore.
Dimensions
Length
185.0 m
Height
INA
Beam
36.0 m
Draft
4.0 m
Displacement, Full Load
INA
Propulsion System
Engine Name
INA
Engine Type
Diesel
Engine Power
INA
Maximum Range
INA
Maximum Speed
INA
Protection
Hull Armor
Steel
Countermeasures
INA
NBC Water Washdown System
Yes
Image Sources
Note
https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1013&context=cmsi-notes; https://www.yahoo.com/news/china-invasion-barges-spotted-drills-183918297.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAMv3ODotLlo_-qCQpGHNtxr-41naWpgtVP9CdWiOK_2XFRxjUFTCJ819HXBpX6FhvQWQmom_ZKXCpAi4dr-AvrRXFu2xkz7TiullY93oFtjfceI1KghWwJw9h2NEpNRqnvl2h1ueBLiJ90sVir5qbsIspL8yQWK5HOOaMcb29xCc; https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/33858411/china-trumps-new-world-order-taiwan-invasion/; https://www.f150gen14.com/forum/threads/interesting-engineering-novel-jackup-bridge-barges.34765/
Details
Country of Origin
China
Category
Naval
Naval
Filter Label
D
Classification
Domain
Ground
Equipment Status
Active
Dimensions
Length
185 m
Width
—
Height
—
Weight
—
Operators (1)
China
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