SPOTD – China’s Brand New “Flagship” Research Vessel

china-large-weather-survey-research-ship_HDR — Newly built science ship Xiangyanghong 03 is seen in Wuhan, capital of central China’s Hubei Province, July 31, 2015. Xiangyanghong 03, a science ship costing around 500 million yuan (about 80.5 million US dollars) was finished this week by Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Group Co Ltd in Wuhan. ( Xinhua )

The scientific expedition vessel “Xiangyanghong 03” was launched on Saturday and joined China’s oceanic research team in Xiamen, Fujian Province.

At a cost of 580 million yuan (89 million U. S. dollars), the research ship was built by China’s State Oceanic Administration (SOA) and Wuchang shipbuilding industry group.

Xiangyanghong 03 is able to work in any navigable area, including the polar regions.

“The vessel will carry out deep sea observation, exploration, sampling and analysis, and will be a mobile lab and experimentation platform for scientific research and technology development in deep sea and oceanic area” said Yu Xingguang, director of the Third Institute of Oceanography (TIO). “This ship will be China’s new flagship research vessel and will take part in major international research programs to enhance our knowledge of the ocean.”

The vessel is expected to depart on its maiden voyage in May.

About John Konrad

Captain John Konrad is the founder and CEO of gCaptain and author of the book Fire On The Horizon. He is licensed to captain the world's largest ships and has sailed from ports around the world. John has built some of the world's most advanced ships and managed billion-dollar offshore construction projects in some of the world's harshest marine environments. John is a distinguished alumnus of New York Maritime College.