A new era in deep ocean exploration is now taking place in China. “Meng Xiang” is China’s first ocean-going drilling vessel, designed and built entirely in the country. His goal is to explore unprecedented depths of the ocean, venturing into areas that humanity has not yet reached.
The human imagination has long been captivated by the idea of venturing beneath the Earth’s surface into a hidden and mysterious realm. This fascination is evident in literature that spans decades, such as The Journey to the Center of the Earth (Voyage au centre de la Terre).
A new era in deep ocean exploration is now taking place in China. “Meng Xiang” is China’s first ocean-going drilling vessel, designed and built entirely in the country. His goal is to explore unprecedented depths of the ocean, venturing into areas that humanity has not yet reached.
The drone that can navigate 8,500 miles without assistance
Remarkably, it can puncture up to 11 kilometers (6.8 miles). The ship aims to expand understanding of the Earth’s deep interior, unlock new energy sources and promote China’s capabilities in marine science and technology on a global scale.
It was reportedly officially commissioned in Guangzhou on November 17, 2024, and is scheduled to begin drilling operations in the South China Sea later this year, continuing until 2035.
Unlocking the secrets of the deep ocean with a drillship
For the longest time, human scientific exploration has been limited to the outermost solid layer of the Earth: the crust. This crust has an average thickness of about 15 kilometers, although it varies significantly (5-10 km under the oceans, 20-90 km under the continents). Underneath this crust is the mantle, a much thicker and crucial layer that acts as a bridge between the surface and the Earth’s superheated core.
Commissioning this drilling vessel in the depths of the ocean is one step closer to reaching and perhaps even overcoming the elusive boundary between crust and mantle: the Mohorovičić (Moho) discontinuity. So more data can be obtained than at present.
Meng Xiang, the Chinese giant
It seems that Meng Xiang is considered “the largest scientific research ship in China”. It measures almost 180 meters long and over 33 meters wide, with a displacement of 42,600 tons. It has an impressive range of 15,000 nautical miles (27,780 km), can operate for 120 days without assistance, and can accommodate 180 people.
It is the first vessel globally to combine scientific drilling in the deep ocean with oil and gas exploration and natural gas hydrate capabilities.
To execute these operations, Meng Xiang is equipped with an exceptionally advanced drilling system. It consists of a hydraulic lifting platform, the first of its kind, designed for a dual purpose: it can perform both oil and gas exploration and core sampling for scientific research.
New Atlas reported that the ship’s drilling capacity allows it to lower a 907-ton drill pipe to a depth of about 11,000 meters (36,000 feet) below the ocean’s surface.
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