China's Deep Sea Ambition, Technology, Expeditions: News & Updates

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China gets fifth license to explore ocean floor minerals in international waters
By Xu Keyue Source:Global Times Published: 2019/7/18 19:09:12

China has been granted its fifth license to an exclusive exploration area for polymetallic nodules in the West Pacific Ocean, which is closer to home than the other four areas.

The International Seabed Authority (ISA) granted approval Monday to Beijing Pioneer Hi-Tech Development Corporation's plan to explore for polymetallic nodules at the 25th Session of the ISA in Kingston, Jamaica, China's Ministry of Natural Resources announced. The 74,000-square-kilometer area is located in international waters of the West Pacific Ocean.

Polymetallic nodules contain nickel, copper, cobalt and manganese, which are subject of increasing interest with the rise of green energy technologies required for a low-carbon future, according to the website of ISA.

A director of the company surnamed Chen told the Global Times on Thursday that they plan to start mining the area between 2030 and 2035.

Before mining begins the company needs to develop the mining equipment, launch a geographic investigation and test the equipment in the area, Chen said.

China began exploring the seabed in the 1970s. It won the right to search for polymetallic nodules in the East Pacific Ocean in 2001, for polymetallic sulfide deposits in the southwestern Indian Ocean in 2011, for cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts in the West Pacific in 2013, and for polymetallic nodules in the East Pacific in 2015.

 

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China delivers new oceanic research vessel
Source: Xinhua| 2019-08-02 16:14:43|Editor: ZX

BEIJING, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- China has delivered a new self-developed oceanic research vessel, according to the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense Friday.

The vessel named Dayang (Ocean) is designed by the China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation. It is a modernized long-range research vessel for comprehensive investigation of marine resources.

With a total length of 98.5 meters and a width of 17 meters, the ship has a designed displacement of 4,650 tonnes. It can operate at a speed of up to 16 knots and is able to conduct worldwide navigation with a range of more than 14,000 nautical miles.

It is equipped with an energy-efficient power system and a noise-reducing propeller. It carries more than 60 kinds of equipment for marine research.

The vessel is world-leading in its comprehensive marine investigation capability, according to a statement carried by the website of the administration.

 

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Intelligent float system developed for ocean observation
Source: Xinhua| 2019-08-12 20:23:23|Editor: Li Xia

BEIJING, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- A retractable intelligent float observation system to monitor ocean conditions has started its trail run in the waters off Zhoushan, the coastal city of east China's Zhejiang Province, according to the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

The float system, independently developed by the Institute of Oceanology of the CAS, features the technologies of intelligent control and retractable structures to continuously observe ocean profiles such as the water temperatures, depth, turbidity and pH levels in real-time.

The sensors attached to the float equipment can achieve real-time data for judging ocean conditions.

The researchers have also made progress in multi-power supply mode featuring solar and wave energy, as well as the observation of multi-layer wind flux.

There have been 21 sets of float observation system running on the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea.

 

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China delivers new oceanic research vessel
Source: Xinhua| 2019-08-02 16:14:43|Editor: ZX

BEIJING, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- China has delivered a new self-developed oceanic research vessel, according to the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense Friday.

The vessel named Dayang (Ocean) is designed by the China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation. It is a modernized long-range research vessel for comprehensive investigation of marine resources.

With a total length of 98.5 meters and a width of 17 meters, the ship has a designed displacement of 4,650 tonnes. It can operate at a speed of up to 16 knots and is able to conduct worldwide navigation with a range of more than 14,000 nautical miles.

It is equipped with an energy-efficient power system and a noise-reducing propeller. It carries more than 60 kinds of equipment for marine research.

The vessel is world-leading in its comprehensive marine investigation capability, according to a statement carried by the website of the administration.

China's new oceanic research vessel conducts first sea trial
Source: Xinhua| 2019-08-26 14:58:21|Editor: ZX

BEIJING, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- China's new self-developed oceanic research vessel has set sail to the South China Sea to conduct its first comprehensive sea trial, according to the Science and Technology Daily Monday.

The vessel named Dayang (Ocean) is designed by the China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation.

With a total length of 98.5 meters and a width of 17 meters, the ship has a designed displacement of 4,650 tonnes. It can operate at a speed of up to 16 knots and has a range of more than 14,000 nautical miles.

The vessel is equipped with an advanced propeller and highly-integrated control system. Its electric propulsion system is energy-efficient, low-emission and noise-reducing, the paper cited Yang Jun, the chief designer of the vessel as saying.

 

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China's Railway Titan Launches World's Strongest Drone
XU WEI
DATE: WED, 07/18/2018 - 14:03 / SOURCE:YICAI

China's Railway Titan Launches World's Strongest Drone​

(Yicai Global) July 18 -- A unit of China’s rail transit giant CRRC has released the burliest unmanned underwater vehicle on the planet, able to lift up to four tons of goods and pick up a needle in water.

CRRC SMD Shanghai unveiled the powerful remotely operated vehicle yesterday, state-backed The Paper reported. This is the first deep-sea equipment developed by CRRC after its acquisition of British SMD, an expert in the field, in 2015.

The heavy-duty ROV is the first commercial deep-sea robot in China, said Chen Jian, vice general manager of another of the firm's units, Zhuzhou CRRC Times Electric. A smaller version of the product will be put into mass production in future, Chen added.

The ROV has a 250-horsepower engine, equivalent to that of a BMW X6. The submersible can explore as deep as in 3,000 meters and achieve a precision of a few millimeters.

SMD Introduces New Work Class ROV | Offshore Engineer
September 3, 2019

(Image: SMD)

A new work class remotely operated underwater vehicle from SMD introduces electric drive technology to the subsea sector in a modular package

The new Quantum EV ROV prototype, showcased at Offshore Europe in Aberdeen this week, is equipped with a new 25kW high power electric thrust system, a new long-distance DC transmission solution and locally managed DC power system. The new platform also features advanced flight processing for super stability, battery compatibility for tetherless operations and is built to accept AI command technology.

SMD has been subjecting the newly developed technologies and the new vehicle to a thorough testing program that will continue over the coming months. First deliveries are expected to begin in 9-12 months.

Mark Collins, SMD’s Director for Remote and Autonomous Technologies has been involved throughout the development process “We have been listening to what our customers and the industry want and using our extensive real world, and sometimes painful experience, we’ve developed a new product range which has their needs at its very core. We have really focused on developing a tool that can be relied upon to take operational efficiency to a new level that’s easy to own and use. The technology will support our client’s ambitions and is suitable for traditional vessel, unmanned vessel and resident applications. One of the novel things about the EV technology is its modular flexibility. We’ve created future-ready, component-based, modular architecture which can be extrapolated for different uses; easily transferred for use in AUVs and USVs.”

Stephen Wilson, SMD’s Innovation Manager commented on the launch of the new EV technology: “We have been developing electric motors and ROV thrusters for over 20 years. As specialists in high power motor drive technology, our parent company, CRRC Tec, have given us access to high power systems technology that would be otherwise inaccessible to the subsea sector. All of this, combined with financial support from our parent and Innovate UK has put us in a unique position to bring a world class electric ROV system to the market.”

Liu Kean, President of CRRC-TEC, has committed to support SMD by sharing TEC core technology from their advanced high speed train to develop SMD’s new generation of ROV and Trenching technology, to increase its efficiency, intelligence and autonomous features in the future.

 

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Submersible Jiaolong's new mothership takes to water in central China
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-08 22:58:54|Editor: Yang Yi


WUHAN, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- A new mothership for China's manned submersible Jiaolong successfully took to water in the central city of Wuhan on Saturday.

Shenhai Yihao (DeepSea No. 1) is a comprehensive scientific expedition vessel as well as the country's first self-developed, specially designed mothership for a manned submersible.

It is expected to greatly improve the diving capacity of Jiaolong by lending support including on-site analysis of data and specimen, according to the ship's manufacturer Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Group under China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation.

The vessel measures 90.2 meters long and 16.8 meters wide. With a designed displacement tonnage of 4,500 tonnes, it has a cruising capacity of over 12,000 nautical miles, according to Chen Tao, board chairman of the ship builder.

Compared with other motherships for manned submersible in the world, Shenhai Yihao boasts larger lab space, lower underwater noise levels and new environmentally friendly designs, said experts at the launch ceremony.

The ship is expected to be put into service in the first half of 2019, setting off global voyages together with Jiaolong.

Jiaolong set a world record by diving to a depth of 7,062 meters during tests in the Mariana Trench in 2012. Its current mothership, 40-year-old Xiangyanghong 09, has carried Jiaolong for hundreds of dives since 2009.

Begin sea trial.

 

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China’s deep-sea mining, a view from the top
Insights into progress and future plans from Liu Feng, secretary general of the China Ocean Mineral Resources Research and Development Association (COMRA)

-> https://chinadialogueocean.net/10891-chinas-deep-sea-mining-a-view-from-the-top/

 

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Chinese marine research vessel returns after deep-sea exploration
Source: Xinhua| 2019-10-24 20:57:08|Editor: Wang Yamei

Chinese marine research vessel Haiyang 6 (Ocean 6) carries out deep sea shallow drilling operation during its exploration mission in the Western Pacific ocean, Sept. 23, 2019. Chinese marine research vessel Haiyang 6 (Ocean 6) has completed its deep-sea exploration mission in the Western Pacific ocean after 122 days and 35,000 km at sea. The vessel returned to Guangzhou on Wednesday. (Xinhua)

GUANGZHOU, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Chinese marine research vessel Haiyang 6 (Ocean 6) has completed its deep-sea exploration mission in the Western Pacific ocean after 122 days and 35,000 km at sea.

The vessel, which is under the Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey (GMGS), Ministry of Natural Resources, returned to Guangzhou on Wednesday.

According to the GMGS, the mission has carried out a comprehensive geological and geophysical survey in some areas of the Northwest Pacific Ocean and obtained sediment samples rich in rare earth elements, laying a foundation for the scientific research on deep-sea ecosystems and evaluation of new resources.

Meanwhile, the expedition team also carried out the annual investigation in the contract area of cobalt-rich crusts.

China signed a cobalt-rich crust mining contract with the International Seabed Authority in April 2014. The crust is located in the seamount area of the Northwest Pacific Ocean, covering some 3,000 square km.

China is entitled to survey the area and conduct experiments in mining and smelting for 15 years, is obliged to hand over two-thirds of the area within 10 years and provide training to technicians from other developing nations.

He Gaowen, a GMGS engineer, said that during the mission, the researchers optimized the performance of the acoustic sensor system of in-situ thickness measurement, which enables precise detection of the cobalt-rich crusts and improves the stability and efficiency of deep sea shallow drilling.

The Haiyang 6 is the first modern comprehensive geophysical survey ship designed and built independently in China, whose basic design inspired many marine scientific survey vessels in China.

Since 2009, the vessel has carried out 55 missions to the South China Sea, the Pacific Ocean and the Antarctic waters.

 

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China's manned submersible takes one step closer to its Mariana Trench sea trial
TECH & SCI By Pan Zhaoyi
2018-12-16 22:28 GMT+8

China is getting a step closer to exploring the bottom of the Mariana Trench, the largest crack in the Earth's surface, after the welding of the spherical shell of the submersible's capsule was completed on Saturday.

According to Lei Jiafeng, research fellow of the Institute of Metal Research affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, China is the first country to build such a large deep-sea manned submersible with titanium alloy materials able to last for over 30 years.

Upon completion, the submersible, capable of diving to depths of over 10,000 meters, will become one of the most advanced deep sea vehicles with the biggest diving depth in the world.

As one of the core components of the submersible, the spherical capsule also serves as a restaurant, a living room, as well as an operation compartment for the pilots.

The technology – joining metals using vacuum electron beam welding and applied on the capsule shell, leaves very narrow space for the welded joints and can weld into a relatively deep position.

By digitally analyzing the movement of the beam, the task was done with great accuracy.

"We used to do manual welding. Now it is welded in a vacuumed environment and it is highly demanding in the precision control of the electron beam. It is no longer controlled by a person. With the parameters fixed, the computer will do the rest stably and accurately," said Ye Cong, chief designer of the manned submersible.

The pressure the vessel will be subjected to at 10,000 meters below surface is similar to that of a car on a fingernail.

From CCTV,
近日，由我国自主研发建造的全海深载人潜水器球壳建造完成，并通过总体集成单位验收。作为目前世界上最大的万米级载人舱，建成验收后，潜水器将进入全面总装阶段
Recently, the spherical shell of the full sea depth manned submersible developed and built by China has been completed and accepted by the overall project management. With the world's largest 10,000-meter depth manned cabin completing acceptance, the submersible could now enter the full assembly stage.

 

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World’s largest manned submersible passes deep-sea pressure simulation test
By Li Qingqing Source:Global Times Published: 2019/10/27 21:03:40

Visitors look at the model of the China's manned submersible Jiaolong at the 2019 China Marine Economy Expo in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, October 15. The expo, under the theme of "Sharing Blue Economy Opportunities, Building a Shared Future," opened here on Tuesday. It has attracted more than 450 companies and institutions to participate and is expected to present China's achievements in the marine economy and the latest progress in the global marine industry. Photo: Xinhua

The spherical shell of China's domestically manufactured deep-sea manned submersible has completed and passed inspection in a development that Chinese analysts said would aid China exploit resources and improve the nation's overall technological capability.

The homemade submersible is the world's largest and capable of carrying three people to depths of more than 10,000 meters.

The titanium alloy shell passed a simulation where the pressure matched that of 10,000 meters underwater, equivalent to that of a car on a fingernail.

"Although the spherical shell is thick, its shape also changes and shrinks under such pressure," said the chief designer Ye Cong.

"Through the experiments, we have found that such deformation is elastic and this indicates the safety of the spherical shell," Ye said.

Song Zhongping, a military expert and TV commentator, said that the titanium alloy material - resistant to pressure and corrosion - was a major technological highlight in the construction of the submersible. "Exploring the deep sea will boost the development of many subjects including marine geology, geography, deep-sea communication technology and biology," Song said.

The previous Chinese manned submersible Jiaolong is capable of diving to around 7,000 meters in the Mariana Trench.

"Chinese people hope to dive to any deep point in any ocean worldwide, and we should explore and utilize the deep sea from the perspective of a shared destiny," Song said.

"We need to understand our planet and know more of the unknown parts under the sea," he said. "The US and other Western countries already explored the deep sea in the 20th century, and China also hopes to contribute to human technological advances."

 

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Building begins on large ocean research ship
Source:Global Times Published: 2019/10/29 0:28:40

A modle for the Sun Yat-sen University reserch vessle in built. Photo: thepaper.cn

The construction of China's largest comprehensive maritime scientific research ship kicked off in Shanghai on Monday.

The 6,000 ton ship was described as a new generation maritime comprehensive scientific research vessel by China Shipping News on Monday.

The 114-meter-long vessel has a crew of 100 and a range of 15,000 nautical miles, according to the online report.

The design work was carried out by the 708th Research Institute of China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) and the Jiangnan Shipyard Group shipbuilding team will carry out construction.

The same construction-management team built the Xuelong-2 icebreaker, according to Zhang Wenlong, chief construction engineer for the new vessel.

The revolutionary ship will eventually be delivered to Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, the capital city of South China's Guangdong Province.

Universities in China have become key customers for research vessels, the report noted: The 5,000-ton Dongfanghong-3 is owned by Ocean University of China, a university situated in Qingdao, Shandong Province.

Chief designer Wu Gang was quoted as saying the vessel would serve mobile research but also work as a world-class global "talent cultivating platform at sea."

The new vessel will accommodate drones amidships and unmanned surface vessels near the stern. The new design features environmental facets such as 72 hours of zero sewage discharge, special garbage packing and a low-temperature trash storage room.

 

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China tests new undersea vehicle for marine environment monitoring
Source: Xinhua| 2019-11-05 17:18:04|Editor: Xiang Bo

BEIJING, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- China has tested a new autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) for monitoring the marine environment in the South China Sea, according to the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The AUV, Haijing 2000, was developed by the Shenyang Institute of Automation under the CAS. It has continuously traveled for 37 days during the sea trial covering more than 2,000 km, which verified its long endurance and system reliability.

Weighing about 200 kg, it can reach a depth of up to 1,500 meters and travel at a maximum speed of one meter per second.

Equipped with several physical and biochemical sensors such as a current profiler and turbidity meters, it can work in several navigation modes and an autonomous observation mode to conduct dynamic observations of different marine environments.

 

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Tsunami warning center starts full operations
By Hou Liqiang | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2019-11-05 17:51

A tsunami early warning center built by China and covering nine countries went into full operation on Tuesday to mark the fourth World Tsunami Awareness Day.

The South China Sea Tsunami Advisory Center is hosted by China's National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center and was authorized by UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission. It began trial operations in January last year.

"So far, as we can see from the trial operation, the capability of the center has been enhanced," said Wang Hong, chief of the State Oceanic Administration of China at the launch ceremony in Beijing.

Wang said the Smart Tsunami Information Process System had also operated stably during the trial operation.

The system, which China owns the intellectual property rights to, will beef up the capability of the South China Sea region to mitigate the impact of tsunamis and offer important guarantees on the safety of lives and property.

Yu Fujiang, director of the National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center, said the advisory center will be able to issue tsunami warnings 10 minutes after an earthquake, thanks to the smart system.

With access to real-time data from over 600 earthquake monitoring stations, including 530 in foreign countries, the tsunami advisory center is able to figure out the basic parameters of an earthquake within three to five minutes no matter where it occurs, he said.

In addition to 106 domestic stations for water level monitoring, the tsunami advisory center receives data from over 800 such stations across the world, he added.

 

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Sub to allow experiments at deepest ocean depths
By ZHAO LEI | China Daily | Updated: 2019-12-05 01:42

Deep-sea manned submersible Jiaolong prepares for a dive in June 2017. LIU SHIPING/XINHUA

Chinese engineers are striving to finish the construction of the world's first manned submersible capable of conducting complex scientific research in the deepest part of the oceans — the bottom of the Marianas Trench — before the end of this year, according to a project insider.

Engineers at the China Ship Scientific Research Center in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, a subsidiary of the State-owned shipbuilding conglomerate China State Shipbuilding Corp, have assembled the deep-diving submersible's structure and are currently installing equipment inside it, Liu Jiarui, a project manager at the center's science and technology section, said on Wednesday.

Their goal is to complete the electrically powered submersible, which has yet to be named, before year's end and then start conducting tests in a lake in Wuxi before the craft begins sea trials, he said at the Marintec China 2019, a marine technology exhibition that opened in Shanghai on Tuesday.

In 2021, the submersible will be delivered to the Chinese Academy of Sciences and will be used to carry out manned expeditions in the Marianas Trench, he said.

Liu said the submersible would be the "first capable of taking humans 10,000 meters underwater to perform scientific missions", adding that almost all of the craft's apparatus and technologies were developed by Chinese researchers on their own.

Scientists said earlier submersible trips to the bottom of the Marianas Trench were made by simpler craft incapable of complex research.

Researchers from about 30 domestic institutes under China State Shipbuilding Corp and Chinese Academy of Sciences have taken part in the project, he said.

The project manager said designers and engineers overcame a great deal of difficulties to build the submersible's sophisticated equipment, such as the titanium alloy-based pressure sphere holding the crew and ultra-deep communication devices.

"Many devices on the submersible have undergone extensive tests to verify that they can withstand the ultra high pressure at 10,000 meters beneath the surface," Liu said.

Once the craft enters formal operations, it will carry three crew members in each deep-diving operation, which can last as long as about 10 hours. Allowing for ascent and descent, the crew will be able to carry out around two hours of scientific tasks at a depth of more than 10,000 meters, he said.

The nation now operates two manned deep-sea submersibles — Jiaolong, or Sea Dragon, and Shenhai Yongshi, or Deep-Sea Warrior.

Jiaolong entered service in 2010, making China the fifth country to have deep-sea exploration technology after the United States, France, Russia and Japan. During a test dive in June 2012, it reached its deepest depth — 7,062 meters — in the Marianas Trench.

With a 4,500-meter capability, Shenhai Yongshi was delivered to the Chinese Academy of Sciences in late 2017 and is engaging in intensive scientific operations.

China plans to build a manned deep-sea station that would start operating around 2030, said Hu Xuedong, deputy director of the State Oceanic Administration's deep sea department.