On December 27, the China Geological Survey (CGS) of the Ministry of Natural Resources announced that the first sea trial of Mengxiang (Dream), China’s first ocean drilling vessel, had met or exceeded all design targets and was a complete success.
The trial began on December 18 at Nansha, Guangzhou, with Mengxiang berthing and unberthing under its own power. The voyage covered about 500 nautical miles and involved more than 200 engineering, technical and management personnel. Through standalone and combined commissioning of the ship’s systems under sailing conditions, the team completed trials of 19 key marine systems, including the ship’s power station, propulsion, communications and navigation, and life-saving and anchoring systems, and finished the planned sea trial program and the certification items required under international rules. Hull inspections and analysis of the trial data show that the main power plant and other marine systems passed verification, with performance and all indicators meeting or exceeding design requirements.
Mengxiang has a gross tonnage of about 33,000, an overall length of 179.8 meters and a range of 15,000 nautical miles, and is capable of unrestricted operations in all global sea areas with a drilling capability of 11,000 meters below the sea surface. Construction was organized by the China Geological Survey of the Ministry of Natural Resources, with China State Shipbuilding Corporation responsible for design and construction and more than 150 participating organizations working in close coordination. Work formally began on November 30, 2021, the main hull was joined on December 18, 2022, and the vessel was officially named and began sea trials on December 18, 2023, with full completion expected in 2024.
The ship incorporates a number of world-first designs. Once completed, it is expected to provide key equipment support for the industrialization of natural gas hydrate exploration and production, further improve China’s ability to secure its own energy supply, support China’s plans for an international ocean drilling science program, and strengthen the country’s capabilities in deep-sea access, deep-sea exploration and deep-sea development.
