On December 12, 2023, the survey vessel Haiyang Dizhi 6 (Marine Geology 6) completed its 2023 ocean expedition and returned to berth at the Nansha research wharf in Guangzhou. Xu Zhenqiang, Party secretary and director of the Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey, deputy director Lei Yong and representatives of the bureau’s departments welcomed the crew at the wharf.
The expedition departed on July 31, 2023 and lasted 135 days, covering nearly 26,500 nautical miles. It set records for a Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey vessel for the longest continuous single-voyage operations in Pacific waters and for the largest volume of integrated geophysical data acquired, underscoring the role of marine geology in supporting China’s maritime development.
The long voyage posed a series of challenges, including no fresh vegetables, no crew rotation and the physical and mental fatigue of extended operations at sea. The bureau organized two rounds of at-sea fuel replenishment during the cruise, a first for the survey’s research vessels, and the crew carried out survey work throughout the voyage while coping with severe sea conditions.
