Thread by @tshugart3

Looks like two of China's PLA-associated roll-on/roll-off ferries, BO HAI CUI ZHU and BO HAI JING ZHU, have left their normal routes crossing the Yellow Sea and are now headed toward Nanjing. Both ferries recently took part in what was likely a PLA landing/transport Exercise.

Both ferries are are owned by the Bo Hai Ferry Group, which is organized as the Eighth Transport Group of the PRC Maritime Militia and whose ferries have on several occasions taken part in PLA amphibious assault and transport exercises. globaltimes.cn/page/202110/12…

Both ferries were built in 2012, and are 34K gross ton vessels. They can each carry more than 2,000 passengers and more than 300 vehicles.

It looks like each one stopped off for about 3 hrs in Lianyungang, at what looks like a a dedicated roll-on/roll-off platform.

To be clear, two ferries does not look like at all like a Taiwan invasion in the making.
But whatever they're doing is probably not a routine commercial operation; I'd guess some sort of transport or training for the PLA.

Good morning all, quick update: one ferry, Bo Hai Cut Zhu, is now moored at what looks like a vehicle loading lot on the Yangtze river between Nanjing and Zhenjiang, arriving around 1000 UTC.

The facility looks to be a commercial vehicle loading facility, for loading new cars onto Ro-Ro vehicle carriers. It does not appear to be a ferry landing. (This image is not from today.)

Meanwhile, Bo Hai Jing Zhu is at anchor in the Yangtze nearby.

I doubt these ferries are being used to load new cars as a commercial operation—that's just not what they're built for or efficient use of their capabilities (though not impossible). My guess is the vehicle lot is being used to load something for the PLA, for exercise/transport.