China Shipbuilding Group subsidiary Shanghai Shipyard has begun construction of a new large rescue vessel for use by the South China Sea Rescue Bureau of the Chinese Ministry of Transport.
The vessel will be designed for both surface rescue and deep-sea rescue operations, such as in instances of evacuating crews of distressed submerged submarines.
When completed, it will have an LOA of 136.9 metres, a beam of 26.7 metres, a DP3 system, and a total installed power of 14,000 kW. Equipment will include a 250-tonne crane, a multi-beam echosounder, and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs).
The vessel will also be capable of performing secondary missions including firefighting, ocean towing, environmental protection, salvage operations, and resupply.
