Official sources have not confirmed published images that appear to show a Chinese cargo ship converted to a floating missile launching platform.
The images reportedly found on the Chinese Internet show a medium-size cargo vessel bristling with dozens of vertical missile launch tubes, radar domes and other container-based military hardware.
The photos were published Thursday by The War Zone, a news and analysis site focused on defense.
The date and location of the images are unknown.
China has been reported to be making efforts to leverage its world-leading shipbuilding capacity to adapt civilian maritime technology for military use. Those efforts include a converted semi-submersible vessel for launching helicopters, and a ferry to support invasion operations.
The publication also has reported on the United States and Iran developing container-based missile launching systems.
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