China's first domestically built drilling ship has been officially named "Mengxiang" (Dream). She started her trial voyage in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province, Dec. 18, 2023. (Xinhua/Huang Guobao)
GUANGZHOU, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- China's first domestically built drilling ship has been officially named "Mengxiang" (Dream). She started her trial voyage on Monday, marking a step forward for the country's exploration of deep-sea resources.
With a length of 179.8 meters and a width of 32.8 meters, the ship can travel 15,000 nautical miles and sustain for 120 days without returning to port.
The ship, featuring high stability and structural strength, can operate in unlimited navigational areas worldwide and drill as deep as 11,000 meters in the sea.
Boasting a world-leading marine drilling capacity, "Mengxiang" will drill through the Earth's crust and into the upper mantle, contributing to the exploration and exploitation of marine energy resources, national energy security, and maritime power construction, sources said.
The mantle, accounting for four-fifths of the Earth's volume and three-fourths of its mass, is the full of scientific mysteries to be explored by scientists. ■
