Xinhua News Agency, Sanya, December 29th – The "Exploration - 3", a multi - functional scientific research vessel independently built by China, arrived at the Nanshan Port Public Scientific Research Wharf in Sanya Yazhou Bay Science and Technology City on December 29th, 2024, and was officially commissioned. This event marks a significant breakthrough in China's deep - sea exploration capabilities.
The "Exploration - 3" is China's first deep - sea multi - functional scientific research and cultural relics archaeology vessel with completely independent intellectual property rights2. It has multiple capabilities, including deep - sea diving, ice - breaking, archaeology, and marine engineering, and is the first platform to support manned missions in the global polar regions and deep - sea areas1. With a length of about 104 meters, a displacement of about 10,000 tons, a maximum speed of 16 knots, a PC4 - level ice - strengthening, a cruising range of 15,000 nautical miles, and a crew of 80, the vessel has broken the long - term foreign technical monopoly by achieving the independent control of a number of key technologies, such as the overall design technology of ice - class ships and intelligent control technology. It is equipped with domestic scientific research equipment suitable for ice - area operations and has established a ship - shore collaborative intelligent ship management platform.
The "Exploration - 3" will undertake tasks such as deep - sea resource investigation, ecological research, and technical verification. It will provide operational support for domestic manned and unmanned submersibles, such as the "Deep - Sea Warrior" and the "Striver", which is of great significance for promoting China's deep - sea scientific research and manned deep - diving operations. In the first half of 2025, the vessel will carry the "Deep - Sea Warrior" manned submersible to carry out routine scientific research operations, deep - sea equipment sea trials, and deep - sea archaeology in the South China Sea, and will enter the deep - sea ocean for manned deep - diving operations in the second half of the year.
The commissioning of the "Exploration - 3" marks that China's manned deep - diving capability has been expanded from the full - sea - depth to the entire sea area. It has significantly enhanced China's independent capability of deep - sea scientific and technological equipment and has been selected as one of the scientific and technological "stars" in Xinhua News Agency's 2024 year - end inventory, shining brightly in China's scientific and technological field.
