VESSEL REVIEW | Haiyang Dizhi No 17 – Chinese research vessel to perform coastal geological surveys

China's Tongfangjiang New Shipbuilding Company has completed construction of a new research vessel for operation by the Chinese Ministry of Natural Resources' China Geological Survey sub-agency. The aptly named Haiyang Dizhi No 17 (海洋地质十七号; "Ocean Geology No 17") was designed by Wuhan Ship Design and Research Institute in compliance with China Classification rules.

The vessel is capable of navigation in both nearshore and offshore waters and has an ice class B hull to permit limited operation in polar latitudes, allowing it to perform comprehensive geological surveys of coastal and offshore waters. Secondary duties will include geophysical prospecting drilling, hydrology, CPT static penetration, environmental monitoring, exploration in support of offshore engineering projects, and general marine research.

The all-steel vessel has an LOA of 49.5 metres (162 feet), a beam of 12 metres (39 feet), a draught of 2.65 metres (8.69 feet), a depth of 4.2 metres (14 feet), a displacement of approximately 1,000 tonnes, and accommodation for 22 crewmembers and up to 12 research personnel. The optimised hull design ensures improved seakeeping and stability, allowing more accurate measurements even under moderate wave conditions especially in offshore waters.

Two main engines drive controllable-pitch propellers to deliver a maximum speed of 12 knots and a range of 2,500 nautical miles. A bow thruster works in conjunction with a DP0 system to ensure accurate positioning during surveys and sample collection.

Comprehensive suite of research equipment

The array of deck equipment includes a geological drilling system, a 300-metre (1,000-foot) long steel cable, a winch, and an A-frame. For underwater data gathering, the vessel relies on 46 sets of advanced geological survey equipment that include single-beam, multi-beam and sidescan sonars, a shallow bottom profiler, an acoustic Doppler current profiler, and seismic monitoring gear.

Multiple interfaces for containers, generators, and survey operation communications gear are reserved for use by additional portable equipment to augment the existing survey kit built into the vessel. The onboard laboratories are equipped to perform sampling and analysis to eliminate the need for the vessel to transport any extracted geological samples to shore, which would otherwise be time-consuming.

Haiyang Dizhi No 17 is being operated by China Geological Survey's Yantai Coastal Zone Geological Survey Centre in Shandong Province. The vessel's area of operations encompasses the Yellow Sea and Bohai Bay off Eastern China. It recently completed a six-day voyage wherein it gathered data and collected more than 60 seabed sediment samples at depths of between eight and 51.35 metres (30 and 168.5 feet) despite prevailing bad weather in the Yellow Sea.