In China’s deep-sea mining, the Dream is ready to raise ‘flammable ice’ from the ocean’s depths
- Said to be the world’s most advanced vessel for harvesting beneath the ocean bed, the drillship will target a unique resource that is supercharged with methane gas
- But questions remain about where the ship will operate in the contested South China Sea, and environmental groups have warned of the potential dangers
China says the world’s most advanced ocean-drilling ship will launch on Friday – capable of harvesting energy-rich “flammable ice” from the ocean bed and conducting missions at depths near the deepest waters in the Mariana Trench.
State media said final preparations are under way on the home-grown drillship that will be used in part to extract gas hydrate – a crystalline solid that resembles ice, forms under immense pressure, and contains a lot of methane.
It could also become a commercially viable energy source – though not a green one – as the world’s largest oil and gas importer ramps up its maritime prowess, Xinhua reported.
That’s where the Dream comes in – the English name of the Meng Xiang drillship now said to be capable of reaching 11,000 metres (36,089 feet), compared with the 11,034-metre depth of the ocean’s deepest point in the Mariana, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica.
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But where the ship operates could become a point of contention, as flammable-ice reserves – according to Chinese surveys over several years – are mainly scattered throughout the South China Sea, and geopolitical tensions are high because of disputed sovereignty claims over the waters and the treasure trove of natural resources beneath them.
China has been pacing up efforts to mine gas hydrate since a successful 60-day trial extraction in 2017 and an even more promising trial in 2020. It can be found scattered across large areas of the sea floor. Gas hydrate is so densely packed with natural gas that one cubic metre of the solid releases 164 cubic metres of conventional natural gas once extracted, according to estimates by the US Department of Energy.
The substance contains mostly methane molecules and can therefore be lit on fire. The fuel is cleaner than coal, but methane is still a greenhouse gas and contains pollutants.
Thanks to its abundance and energy intensity, it has been regarded by some as the future of fuel. But environmental groups have warned that its extraction, if not supported by the most advanced mining technologies, could leak greenhouse gases and raise the ocean’s acidity level, threatening sea life.
A report by state broadcaster CCTV on Monday boasted that the ship not only drills deeper than any other, but that the size and sophistication of its onboard laboratory facilities are unmatched.
The laboratory spans 300 square metres (3,230 sq ft) and has nine sections including ones devoted to marine science, microorganisms, and the study of magnetic fields in rocks.
Construction of the vessel, which has a gross tonnage of about 33,000 and an endurance of 15,000 nautical miles, was led by the Ministry of Natural Resources and involved the participation of more than 150 companies and institutions, Xinhua said.
The ministry previously estimated that there are 80 billion tonnes of prospective flammable ice under waters claimed by China.
