The Mengxiang, China's first domestically designed and built deep-ocean drilling vessel, will carry out its first scientific research and trial drilling mission at the South China Sea this year, the China Geological Survey under the Ministry of Natural Resources revealed on Monday.
As China's largest scientific research vessel, the Mengxiang measures 179.8 meters in length and 32.8 meters in width, with a gross tonnage of 33,000 tons and a displacement of 42,600 tons. It boasts a range of 15,000 nautical miles, a self-supportability for 120 days, and a capacity to accommodate 180 people.
The vessel is the first in the world to integrate functions such as deep-ocean scientific drilling, oil and gas exploration, and natural gas hydrate investigation and trial extraction, and thus the only scientific research vessel in the world to have a maximum drilling depth of 11 kilometers.
In recent days, the ship's drilling system has been undergoing tests to prepare for the upcoming mission.
"It mainly serves the core function of well-drilling. The drill pipes at the stern will be transported by these mechanic devices to the deck. We'll need to connect the pipes to form longer pipes, and then connect the longer pipes to make a 11,000-meter-long pipe," said Wang Mingxin, deputy director of the technology division of the drilling institute of the Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey.
"The ship has two tasks. The imminent one is trial drilling in both hard rock and soft rock formations in the ocean. The second task is trial extraction of natural gas hydrates," said Sun Zhen, a researcher with the Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey.
China's drilling vessel Mengxiang to conduct first mission this year
China's drilling vessel Mengxiang to conduct first mission this year
China's top diplomat Wang Yi on Tuesday emphasized the importance of upholding international rules, saying that the conflict between the United States and Iran, which has lasted for over a hundred days, has severely impacted the regional and international situation.
Wang, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, made the remarks during the 16th Meeting of BRICS National Security Advisors and High Representatives on National Security held in New Delhi, India.
He said that the recent signing of the first phase of the U.S.-Iran Memorandum of Understanding, along with the conflict, has made many things clear to us.
The first is the importance of upholding international rules, Wang said at Tuesday's conference.
"The settlement of any international and regional hotspot issues should be based on abiding by international rules. The law of the jungle may succeed for a while, but it is not sustainable," he said.
The second is the importance of respecting national sovereignty, Wang said, adding that territorial integrity shall not be violated and a country's internal affairs shall not be interfered with. This is the most basic bottom line of international justice, he noted.
The third point is the importance of establishing a new vision of security, Wang said.
"Countries are increasingly becoming a community with a shared future. The practice of seeking absolute security of oneself at the expense of others will only backfire," he said.
The Chinese top diplomat said that the fourth is to understand the significance of new forms of war. Unconventional warfare, such as information warfare and cyber warfare, has become more visible in recent conflicts. Facing interwoven traditional and non-traditional security threats, it is the right time for BRICS countries to enhance dialogue and cooperation on security affairs.
China's top diplomat stresses int'l rules at BRICS meeting
