Da Yang Yihao [file photo]
The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) has
recently given a green light for the construction of an advanced
science research vessel for deep sea exploration.
The Chinese Academy of Sciences' (CAS) Institute of Oceanology
was expected to oversee construction of the new vessel. It would
have a weight of about 4,000 tons and would be the biggest of its
kind designed and built by domestic scientists and manufacturers,
the CAS said on its website, www.cas.ac.cn, on Monday.
The ship would be used for comprehensive and precise study of
ocean hydrography, marine geology and sea environment. The
equipment aboard the ship would consistently monitor real-time
environmental and ecological changes in deep seas, Sun Song, head
of the CAS institute, said.
The institute would cooperate with the Ministry of Education,
which was responsible for research labs at prestigious
universities, the State Oceanic Administration, the Ministry of
Agriculture and the Ministry of Land and Resources, to jointly
build and use the survey ship, the website said.
The most sophisticated Chinese science vessel now in active
duty, Da Yang Yihao, which was remodeled from a Russian vessel in
1994, was 104.5 meters in length and 16 meters in width. It had a
water discharge capacity of 5,600 tons.
The most powerful icebreaker, Xuelong with a tonnage of 21,025,
had conducted 24 exclusive polar investigation missions.
Sun didn't disclose details on how much was needed to build the
new ship. Technological upgrades for the Da Yang Yihao cost at
least 100 million yuan (13.7 million U.S. dollars) in 2002.
China currently had a fleet of more than 100 scientific survey
vessels.
(Xinhua News Agency January 7, 2008)
