On March 17, the construction of the first 3,500-ton marine research vessel, which was built by fishermen from various towns in Wenling, Zhejiang Province, with a spontaneous fundraising of about 130 million yuan, officially started. This is the first marine research vessel invested and built by a private enterprise in China with the ability to operate in unlimited ocean areas.
The vessel was built by Zhejiang Tenglong Shipbuilding. It is 82 meters in length, 15.2 meters in width, 6.8 meters in depth with a designed draft of 4.0 meters, a full load displacement of approximately 3,500 tons, a range of over 5,000 nautical miles, and a self-sustaining capacity of over 60 days.
The vessel adopts a long forecastle, a reverse wave-piercing bow and a square stern design, with an open working deck at the stern and a concealed working area in the middle. It can carry scientific investigation and operation equipment covering multiple disciplines of sea, air and submarine, meet the requirements of unlimited navigation areas around the world, and have the ability to operate in the deep sea.
It is reported that it takes about a year from the start of construction to the delivery of a new vessel. The construction of the hull takes about 8 to 10 months, and the quay outfitting and sea trials take 2 to 3 months. It can be put into operation after the sea trials.
After completion, the vessel will be used to carry out tasks in multiple fields such as marine resource exploration, seabed topography mapping, geochemical and physical research, and marine biological collection. And it will serve offshore wind power support and maintenance, offshore oil field operations, and seabed engineering projects, providing solid support for deep-sea scientific research, high-tech research and development, and high-end composite talent training.
It is reported that Zhejiang Tenglong Shipbuilding is located in Songmen Town, Wenling City, covering an area of 170 Mu with a coastline of 450 meters. The shipyard is equipped with 12 sets of gantry cranes (3 sets of 200 tons) and 3 sets of 40,000-ton slipways.
The main products of Tenglong Shipbuilding cover various types of bulk carriers ranging from 5,000 DWT to 35,000 DWT, engineering sand suction vessels, deck barges, asphalt carriers, LPG carriers and ocean-going tuna vessels, etc.