China's deep-sea drilling capacity reaches 5,000-meter level

China's Mengxiang ("Dream") ocean drilling vessel has set a national record for deep-sea drilling, elevating its capability to 5,000-meter level, after obtaining basalt samples from the South China Sea basin, the Ministry of Natural Resources said on Monday.

This marks China's entry into international advanced ranks in deep-sea drilling operation capacity, according to the ministry.

A 4.27-meter basalt sample was extracted during the voyage via a self-developed drill, which made China the third country after the United States and Japan to obtain hard rock samples from a deep ocean basin using drilling vessels.

The research team conducted a long-term and high-intensity operation of shipborne remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), deploying two ROVs to operate for over 358 hours in total at a depth of 4,000 meters, with a single continuous operation lasting up to 103 hours, reaching internationally advanced levels, said Sun Zhen, a researcher at the Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey (GMGS) in south China.

Following the standards of the International Ocean Discovery Program for the first time, researchers also completed on-site multi-parameter processing and analysis of the samples, including cataloging, cutting, scanning, testing and storage, thereby mastering full-process operational capabilities for ultra-deep water ocean scientific drilling.

The samples and data obtained during the voyage provide crucial empirical evidence for addressing core scientific issues such as the expansion of the South China Sea. They are also of great significance for studying the evolution of the ancient marine environment in the sea and for the exploration and development of ultra-deep water energy resources, researchers noted.

A total of 170 researchers from nine institutions participated in the voyage, which was organized by the China Geological Survey and implemented by the GMGS.

China's first domestically-built ocean drilling vessel, Mengxiang, was officially commissioned in 2024.