The Meng Xiang (Dream), China's first domestically designed and built deep-ocean drilling vessel, was officially commissioned in the southern Chinese metropolis of Guangzhou on Sunday, marking a significant milestone in the country's deep-sea exploration technology.
The drilling ship, weighing 33,000 tons and measuring 179.8 meters in length and 32.8 meters in width, can operate continuously at sea for 120 days with a full crew of 180 members and travel up to 15,000 nautical miles.
More importantly, it is the world's only drilling vessel capable of reaching a depth of 11 kilometers.
Developed by the China Geological Survey under the Ministry of Natural Resources in collaboration with various partners, the vessel boasts advanced drilling capabilities and features the world's largest and most comprehensive onboard laboratory, covering over 3,000 square meters.
The laboratory includes nine specialized sub-labs for disciplines including marine biology, microbiology and paleomagnetism, utilizing digital twin technology to monitor drilling activities and support scientific research.
"The 'Meng Xiang' drilling ship is a fully domestically designed ultra-deepwater exploration unit. It boasts various capabilities, including natural gas hydrate exploration and sampling, deep-sea scientific drilling, and research into both deep-sea and open-ocean environments. By utilizing modular, mobile units, we've integrated these functions while maintaining a smaller tonnage, which makes it a global leader in deep-sea exploration," said Zhang Haibin, chief designer of the Meng Xiang drilling ship.
The ship is set to sail before the end of the year on its first 11,000-meter drilling mission. "The 'Meng Xiang' will serve as a platform for deep-sea resource exploration and be built into a mobile national laboratory, enabling scientists to analyze samples directly on board. This marks a significant step forward in achieving their scientific objectives," said Lei Yong, commissioner of the "Meng Xiang" project department at the Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey of China Geological Survey.
China's first deep-ocean drilling vessel starts commissioning in Guangzhou
Over 30 Chinese companies signed agreements on Saturday to foster collaboration on the development of offshore wind power industrial chain by strengthening partnerships between upstream and downstream sectors and exploring joint innovative development.
Zhang Zhian, a representative from a subsea cable manufacturing company, said that as the wind power industry expands into the deep sea, their focus now lies on reducing costs and energy consumption.
"In this collaborative effort, we will work with upstream companies in the petrochemical sector to co-develop advanced materials, and strengthen cooperation with universities in the field of deep-sea high-end accessories. We will provide products for longer, deeper, and more distant AC/DC conversions," said Zhang Zhian, a representative from a subsea cable manufacturing company.
As a leader in offshore wind power sector, China Three Gorges Corporation (CTG) has teamed up with dozens of enterprises to focus on critical offshore wind technologies and application scenarios.
"Three Gorges Renewables (Group) Co., Ltd. is steadily advancing the development of offshore wind power projects. In collaboration with several upstream companies in the industrial chain, we will conduct major research projects to jointly tackle key technical challenges related to deep-sea power transmission, control systems, and other critical technologies," said Zhu Chengjun, chairman of Three Gorges Renewables (Group) Co., Ltd.
The offshore wind power industry is highly complex, involving millions of components and spanning multiple industries.
“The Chinese government encourages companies throughout the supply chain to focus on key common technologies, cutting-edge and leading technologies, and disruptive innovations. The aim is to jointly advance the development of critical links such as wind turbine units, offshore power transmission, marine engineering, operation and maintenance. This collaboration will help strengthen the entire industrial chain by addressing weaknesses and enhancing strengths, jointly improving the industry's innovation capacity and supply chain efficiency,” said Zhuang Shuxin, secretary general of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council.
According to official data, 74 "little giant" enterprises have been developed throughout China's offshore wind power industrial chain, covering multiple subsectors such as subsea cables, blades, turbine units, substations, and grid connection systems.
"Little giants" refer to the novel elites of China's SMEs that are engaged in manufacturing, specialize in a niche market and boast cutting-edge technologies.
China has become the world leader in cumulative installed capacity for offshore wind power, driving the global development of offshore wind energy.
Chinese firms collaborate to elevate offshore wind power innovative development
