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Introduction:
Today, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) owns the world’s largest fleet of blue-water marine scientific research vessels. While their operations are largely concentrated in the Western Pacific, an increasing number are reaching across the globe—from the Indian Ocean to the Arctic, and even the Western Hemisphere. In fact, as of this writing the Chinese research ship Tansuo 1, with its deep-sea manned submersible aboard, is operating in the Atacama Trench off the coast of northern Chile.

Key Takeaways:

  • China’s marine scientific research fleet is expanding its operations around the world, including the Western hemisphere. Presently, a Chinese research vessel, the Tansuo 1, is operating off the coast of Chile. It is owned by the Chinese Academy of Science Deep-Sea Science and Technology Institute (hereafter, the “Deep-Sea Institute).
  • China’s marine scientific research fleet—currently the world’s largest—is capable of conducting a catalog of missions that advance Beijing’s strategic and military ambitions and undermine U.S. interests. These potential missions range from studying oceanic phenomena that impact naval operations to supporting China’s vision of the international maritime order.
  • Most research ships are owned by state agencies, especially the Ministry of Natural Resources, which can dictate their operations. All rely heavily on state funding to cover operational costs. The state further influences research priorities through funding programs like the “Crucial Deep-Sea and Polar Technology and Equipment” program, which has an explicit national security driver. This program funded a major Arctic expedition led by the Deep-Sea Institute in the summer of 2025.
  • The Chinese Communist Party exerts control over marine scientific research activities through the Party Committee and other Party organizations that dominate decision making within scientific research institutes. The Deep-Sea Institute has 14 Party branches, including one on each of its three research ships.
  • The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) leverages marine scientific research organizations to help support military requirements by organizing some personnel into militia units, training them to carry out military tasking, and subjecting them to military mobilization. Since at least 2016, the PLA has sought to build “new-quality” militia units, with expertise in emerging domains like the deep sea. The Deep-Sea Institute contains at least one “undersea target detection” unit.

Publication Date

2-4-2026

Publisher

China Maritime Studies Institute, U.S Naval War College

City

Newport, Rhode Island

Keywords

China Maritime Studies Institute, CMSI, Chinese Navy, PLAN, Research, Tansuo, Deep-Sea

CMSI Note 19: China’s Blue-Water Research Fleet: Science in Service of Strategy

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