China's first domestically designed and built deep-ocean drilling vessel, Meng Xiang, entered service in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou on Sunday. This milestone marks a significant advancement in the nation's marine exploration capabilities.
Ocean drilling involves operations conducted on the seabed to study the Earth's internal composition, structural formations, and hidden energy resources beneath the ocean floor. As an integrated platform of advanced deep-sea exploration technologies, an ocean drilling vessel is currently the only means of sampling from the deep ocean floor.
To date, over 20 countries have participated in the International Ocean Discovery Program, with only three nations—China, the U.S., and Japan—possessing their own ocean drilling vessels. The Meng Xiang stands out with a gross tonnage of 33,000 tonnes, a length of 179.8 meters, and a beam of 32.8 meters. It can operate continuously for 120 days and travel up to 15,000 nautical miles.
What sets Meng Xiang apart is its unparalleled drilling depth capability. It can perform ultra-deepwater drilling at depths of 11 kilometers, surpassing the U.S. JOIDES Resolution's 7,500 meters and Japan's Chikyu's 9,500 meters. This extraordinary capability positions China at the forefront of deep-sea exploration.
The vessel is poised to undertake major national scientific projects and contribute to large-scale international science programs. Wang Chengshan, a geologist and member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, emphasized the vessel’s role in solving pivotal scientific problems and advancing our understanding of the deep sea.
One of the primary objectives is to penetrate the Moho discontinuity, the boundary between the Earth's crust and mantle. Understanding the mantle, which accounts for four-fifths of the Earth's volume, holds the key to unraveling many geological mysteries.
Sun Zhen from the Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey expressed optimism about Meng Xiang's potential to achieve long-standing scientific exploration goals. The vessel is supported by advanced infrastructure, including a drilling support ship and the world's largest ocean drilling core repository, ensuring robust onshore and offshore operations.
Xu Zhenqiang, director of GMGS, outlined the vessel's focus areas: Moho drilling, sustainable deep-sea energy resource development, and marine disaster prevention. These initiatives aim to bolster national energy security, technological self-reliance, and the development of maritime power.
A Mobile National Laboratory
Meng Xiang is equipped with the world's first hydraulic lifting rig capable of both oil and gas exploration as well as core sampling, supporting a maximum drilling depth of 11 kilometers. Additionally, the vessel houses nine specialized research labs covering geology, paleomagnetism, microbiology, and marine science.
With over 3,000 square meters of laboratory space, Meng Xiang boasts the largest laboratory area among current scientific research ships. Zhou Yang, leader of the manufacturing supervision group at GMGS, highlighted the vessel's comprehensive scientific capabilities, including environmental monitoring and analytical testing.
The inclusion of advanced tools like a laser microscope in the microbial identification room allows for precise and rapid onboard analysis, making Meng Xiang a truly mobile national laboratory.
Reference(s):
China's deep-ocean drilling vessel expected to advance sea exploration
cgtn.com
