Zhuhai Cloud

History
Name	Zhuhai Cloud
Owner	Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory, Sun Yat-sen University
Builder	China State Shipbuilding Corporation Huangpu Wenchong
Laid down	July 2021[1]
Launched	May 2022[1]
General characteristics
Displacement	2,000 tonnes[2]
Length	88.5 metres (290 ft)[2]
Beam	14 metres (46 ft)[2]
Speed	13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph)[2]; 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph) (maximum)[2];

Zhuhai Cloud (Chinese: 朱海云; pinyin: Zhu Hai Yun) is a oceanography research vessel designed for uncrewed operations in open waters[2] and as a mother ship for uncrewed vehicles.[1] She has been called the first "drone mothership"[2] and the first "unmanned vehicle carrier".[1]

The ship was built by China State Shipbuilding Corporation's Huangpu Wenchong for Sun Yat-sen University's Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory.[1] The laboratory's goal is to surveil an underwater and above water area 50 nautical miles in diameter using a network of unmanned devices.[1]

Zhuhai Cloud may have military applications. Timothy Heath, a RAND Corporation analyst, believes these include accurately mapping depths for submarines, and deploying smart mines.[2]

References

"CSSC Launches World's First "Drone Carrier"". The Maritime Executive. 19 May 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
Huang, Kristin (19 May 2022). "Does China's new drone mother ship have potential as a military vessel?". The Maritime Executive. Archived from the original on 18 July 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2022.

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[me_launch-1] "CSSC Launches World's First "Drone Carrier"". The Maritime Executive. 19 May 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2022.

[scmp_potential-2] Huang, Kristin (19 May 2022). "Does China's new drone mother ship have potential as a military vessel?". The Maritime Executive. Archived from the original on 18 July 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2022.