29 July 2019
- RSIS
- Media Mentions
- Beijing Delivers New Ocean-Going Research Vessel to Disputed South China Sea Waters
Beijing Delivers New Ocean-Going Research Vessel to Disputed South China Sea Waters
China has delivered a new long-range research vessel which it says heralds a “new era” in maritime exploration, deploying it to the waters of the South China Sea, disputed with other countries in the region.
The vessel called the Da Yang Hao (Great Ocean), has a top speed of 30 km/h and a range of 14,000 miles (approximately 22,500 km). It has the capability to conduct deep-sea resource exploration in any of the world’s oceans, state media reported on Saturday, cited by the South China Morning Post. The ship is owned and managed by the Chinese Ministry of Natural Resources.
Collin Koh, a research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, told the Post that if the ship was deployed to the South China Sea it would bolster Beijing’s maritime presence in the region, while also boosting China’s strategic capabilities.
IDSS / Online
Last updated on 29/07/2019
