China delivers its first intelligent ocean-class research vessel

China's first intelligent ocean-class comprehensive scientific research vessel was delivered in Shanghai on Sunday, according to China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited (CSSC).

The vessel, named "Tongji," was built by CSSC Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding Company. It is a domestically designed and built new-generation research ship, featuring green, low-noise and intelligent technologies.

It integrates capabilities across marine geology, marine chemistry and marine biology and will serve as a "floating campus" for Tongji University, supporting both academic research and engineer training at sea.

"The Tongji vessel is 82 meters long and 15 meters wide, and capable of carrying 15 crew members and 30 scientific researchers, with a range of 8,000 nautical miles. It features autonomous navigation in open waters with intelligent route planning for energy efficiency. The vessel has a strong communication capability, which is comprehensive and multi-dimensional. It boasts a communication network connecting air, sea and underwater spaces, which can provide ship-to-ship, ship-to-coast, ship-to-drone and ship-to-underwater robot communication service," said Li Zhenghua, chief engineer of the vessel.

The 2,000-tonne-class vessel has 460-square-meter operation deck, 320 square meters laboratories, a per capita living area of 10.2 square meters, and over-100-square-meter areas for meetings, lectures, leisure and fitness. Its operational capacity is equivalent to that of a 3,000-tonne-class vessel. "Our vessel is equipped with a variety of modular laboratories under different operational conditions. It can carry different containers for scientific research according to the tasks of each voyage, and is capable of achieving various research goals related to marine geography, marine biology, marine chemistry and atmospheric environment. In addition, the vessel can also carry out marine engineering tasks, such as the laying and maintenance of submarine cables," said Li.

China delivers its first intelligent ocean-class research vessel

The Ukrainian and U.S. delegations held another round of consultations in Paris on Wednesday to discuss an end to the almost four-year-old conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

It was the third meeting within two days between the Ukrainian and U.S. representatives in Paris.

Rustem Umerov, head of the Ukrainian negotiating delegation and secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, said on Wednesday that he had engaged in this round of talks with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.

The talks centered on key issues concerning the basic framework for ending the war, with particular attention to possible forms of future engagement between the leaders of Ukraine, European partners and the United States.

During a visit to Cyprus on Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that talks with Western allies have reached a new level. Zelensky said that Ukraine, along with its European partners, the United States, and all participants in the Coalition of the Willing, are working together towards a resolution. He further suggested that the talks might reach a significant milestone within the first half of 2026 when Cyprus is holding the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Ukraine holds third meeting with U.S. delegation in Paris