Chinese research ship launched to boost exploration activities, including in South China Sea

The Shiyan-6 ‘will help safeguard sovereignty and also maritime rights and interests’, says deputy director of oceanology institute

US$71.5 million vessel will be used for geophysics, ocean physics, sea-air interaction and other studies, according to state media

Reading Time:2 minutes

The Shiyan-6 was launched in Guangzhou on Saturday and is expected to be commissioned next year. Photo: Handout

Published: 11:00pm, 20 Jul 2020Updated: 1:55am, 21 Jul 2020

China has launched a new marine research vessel to boost its exploration activities, including in the disputed South China Sea, according to state media.

The Shiyan-6, or Experiment-6 – a geophysical and seismic survey ship owned by the Chinese Academy of Sciences – was launched in Guangzhou on Saturday and is expected to be commissioned next year, state news agency Xinhua reported.

“It will help to safeguard China’s state sovereignty and also its maritime rights and interests, increasing the country’s building of maritime power,” Long Lijuan, deputy director of the academy’s South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, was quoted as saying.

It comes after the United States last week formally rejected most of Beijing’s expansive maritime claims in the strategic, resource-rich South China Sea, parts of which are also claimed by Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.

According to Xinhua, the new 500 million yuan (US$71.5 million) vessel will be used for research including on geophysics, ocean physics, sea-air interaction and marine chemistry.

It will also be used to collect data on topography, landforms, currents, and biomes in extreme environments such as deep trenches.

Select Voice

Choose your listening speed

Get through articles 2x faster

1.25x

250 WPM

Slow

Average

Fast

00:0000:00

1.25x