CHINA: COLD SEEP UNDERWATER SPACE STATION

Written by Michael Thervil

Everyone from the environmental, military, and geopolitical sectors have their eyes on China and what they are planning to do in the South China Sea. The reason for this is because of China's ambitions to conduct research activities and build a permanent space station like research facility 6,000 meters (6.562 feet) in the South China Sea. The name of the deep-water research facility is “Cold Seep Ecosystem” and is spearheaded by the South China Sea Institute of Oceanology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. While the space race was considered to be the unifying theme of the 1960’s in America, being the first to travel to the deepest depths in order to reach the seafloor are today's endeavors. Beyond oceanic research, one of the biggest reasons why China is venturing 6,500 meters into the sea is because of the possibility of discovering the vast natural and energy resources that have remained hidden beneath the ocean floor. The Cold Seep Ecosystem is scheduled to be completed sometime in 2030.

To accomplish this enormous undertaking, China will first send 6 specialists on this exploration mission to spend 45 days submerged in the South China Sea and will work in tandem via a network of “unscrewed submersibles, ships, and seabed observatories in an effort to establish a four-dimensional monitoring and surveillance system.”  Beyond observing and studying marine life and the ecosystem in hopes of finding medical and bio-technical breakthroughs, they will be monitoring tectonic activity and assessing where and how to extract the exponentially high volume of methane hydrates located in the South China Sea. Methane hydrate also known as “flammable ice” is considered by China to be the next best source of untapped energy. With an estimated 70 billion tons of methane hydrate in the South China Sea, it's valued to be worth roughly half of their oil and gas reserves in China.

Other minerals that China is looking to mine are nickel, cobalt and rare earth minerals which if found are suspected to be in significant numbers as well. The second phase of the mission is to build a deep-sea research facility as well. If you know anything about the Chinese government and just about every other world government, everything that they touch can be used for military purposes. This is where geopolitics knows no bounds. Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam, Philippines, and Brunei are all giving push back to China over its expansion into the South China Sea and its new found mission in the South China Sea. The reason for this is because they all want to claim their part of the South China Sea. On top of that, counties such as the Philippines and Taiwan have fears that they would be placed in the crosshairs of China should China militarize their underwater base of operations.

Regardless of how many feels, if China is able to accomplish all of this, this mega-project will demonstrate China’s technological advancements and long-term vision in terms of science, industrial, and military applications. Are there other deep-sea applications being spearheaded by other countries? Yes. America has one, but it’s nowhere near the scale of what China is getting ready to undertake. The deep-sea facility that China is looking to build may serve as a platform for expansion of human civilization. It’s a big deal and a big dream, but will it become the nightmare of other countries? only time will tell.