Photo: Screenshot of news.southcn.com website

The world’s first ship with an intelligent unmanned system was launched in Guangzhou, south China’s Guangdong Province, on Wednesday.

The vessel, which was developed by the Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory in Zhuhai, Guangdong, is the world’s first scientific research vessel capable of remote control and autonomous navigation in open waters. It will provide an unprecedented tool for China to conduct marine scientific research and promote the development of marine economy, according to China Central Television.

The ship’s equipment is highly localized, and core elements such as the power system, propulsion system, and operations support system were all independently developed by Chinese scientists.

The vessel has a length of 88.5 meters, a width of 14.0 meters, a depth of 6.1 meters, a planned displacement of approximately 2,000 tons, a maximum speed of 18 knots and an economic speed of 13 knots. .

With a spacious deck, the ship can carry a dozen different observation instruments. Construction of the vessel began on July 20, 2021 and it is expected to be commissioned by the end of this year.

In the future, the ship’s application will be of great significance in changing the traditional ocean observation mode, obtaining real-time three-dimensional ocean observation data, improving the efficiency and level of observation of the ocean and also contribute to the training of high-end marine science and technology talents and further strengthen the ocean science and technology innovation capacity.