Indian Defense News: The Indian Navy is currently monitoring the movements of three Chinese research vessels operating within the Indian Ocean Region.
Recent satellite imagery has identified these vessels—Xiang Yang Hong 03, Zhong Shan Da Xue, and Ying Wang 7—navigating close to India’s maritime borders.
UNESCO recognizes Zhong Shan Da Xue as a cutting-edge floating laboratory, designed to advance deep-sea exploration. This vessel is China’s largest oceanographic research ship, stretching 114.3 meters in length and 19.4 meters in width, with a gross tonnage of 6,800 tons.
Equipped with a range extending up to 15,000 miles, Zhong Shan Da Xue can accommodate 100 individuals, including 24 crew members and 76 scientists.
Xiang Yang Hong 03 belongs to the newest generation of research ships, outfitted with advanced remote-sensing equipment capable of probing depths up to 10,000 meters.
While China asserts that these vessels are dedicated to scientific research, both Indian and Western officials remain skeptical of their true intentions.
There is growing suspicion that these vessels are part of a broader strategy to collect critical data essential for naval operations, particularly those involving submarines. This concern was previously highlighted in a report by the Indian Navy.
“Such unrestrained and questionable activity within Sri Lankan waters is likely to provoke concern among other regional powers and may destabilize the fragile maritime equilibrium in the Indian Ocean Region,” the report stated.
It is believed that these Chinese ships are gathering hydrographic data—such as currents, bathymetry, and salinity—that could be crucial for submarine warfare.
This type of data is versatile, serving both civilian and military applications.
In a January 22, 2021 article published by Naval News, defense and open-source intelligence analyst H.I. Sutton noted that some of these survey activities, particularly those near Indonesia and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, might be aimed at locating the U.S. Navy’s “fish hook” sensor networks, which are designed to detect Chinese submarines entering the Indian Ocean.
