Exploration Vessel for Combustible Ice Delivered for Use

    China's first reconnaissance and exploration vessel for combustible ice, named Haiyang (Ocean) 6, has come on stream. Combustible ice, a kind of natural gas hydrate, is regarded as a potential source of alternative energy to coal and oil. China has successfully excavated it under the South China Sea and in Qinghai Province, making the country the fourth after the United States, Japan and India to succeed in the field.

    The ship, equipped with underwater remote-control survey facilities and other hi-tech devices, will step up combustible ice surveying in China.

    Independently developed by China for RMB 400 million, it boasts a gross tonnage of 4,600 and a cruising radius of 15,000 nautical miles.