Meng Xiang – “Dream” Ultra-Deep-Sea Drilling Vessel

Name: Meng Xiang (梦响, “Dream”)

Designer/Builder: China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) – fully domestic design

Type: Ultra-deep-sea drilling & scientific research vessel

Length: 180 m, Beam: 33 m, Draft: 8.6 m, Displacement: 42,600 t

Mission Target

Drill to 11 000 m below the seabed (~36 000 ft)

Objective: Reach the Mohorovičić discontinuity (crust-mantle boundary)

Commissioning Date: 17 November 2024, Guangzhou

Operational Campaign: 2025 – 2035, South China Sea

Area Focus: Extended continental shelf & deep-water basins

Crew/Scientists: 180

Autonomy: 120 days continuous sea time

Range: 15 000 nautical miles

Weather Capability

Certified to operate in Force 12 typhoon (Category 16 super-typhoon)

Laboratories & Science Capacity

Onboard Labs: 9 (geology, geochemistry, microbiology, ocean science, drilling tech, etc.)

Unique Feature: Automated shipborne core-sample storage system

Drilling Equipment

Mast Hoisting Capacity: 907 t (2 million lb hook load)

Modes: 4 drilling modes + 3 coring methods on single platform

Max Water Depth: 3 000 m

Max Bore Depth: 11 000 m below seabed

Fundamental geoscience: sample pristine mantle rock

Energy security: locate deep-sea oil/gas & natural-gas hydrates

Technological sovereignty: showcase China’s deep-ocean engineering leadership