A senior U.S. defense official reported Thursday that satellite imagery revealed China’s new nuclear-powered attack submarine sank alongside a pier during construction. The incident, involving China’s first Zhou-class submarine, occurred between May and June at the Shuangliu shipyard on the Yangtze River.
Satellite images from Planet Labs PBC show a submarine docked at the shipyard before the incident. A June 15 image appears to show the vessel fully or partially submerged, surrounded by rescue equipment, cranes, and oil containment booms.
Take a look —
The submarine’s current status and whether it contained nuclear fuel at the time of sinking remain unknown. No radiation release has been reported in the area since the incident.
This setback impacts Beijing’s naval expansion goals, which have been a source of tension in the South China Sea region. China currently operates six nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, six nuclear-powered attack submarines, and 48 diesel-powered attack submarines, according to a U.S. military report.
Thomas Shugart, a former U.S. Navy submariner and analyst at the Center for a New American Security, first noticed the incident in July.
When asked about the incident, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said they were unfamiliar with the topic and provided no further information.
The news coincides with China’s rare launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile into international waters in the Pacific Ocean this week, reportedly the first such test since 1980.