At present, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area's total economic volume exceeds 13 trillion and its population exceeds 80 million. It is one of the regions with the highest degree of openness, the strongest economic vitality, and the largest population in my country. From ocean exploration to deep-sea pastures, technological innovation is becoming a new driving force for the development of the Greater Bay Area.
The "Dream", which is entering the final stage of interior decoration in Guangzhou, is currently the largest scientific research ship in the country. It has a full load displacement of 42,000 tons, which is close to a medium-sized aircraft carrier. It has a cruising range of 15,000 nautical miles and can be continuously at sea with a full load of 180 crew members. It can work for 120 days, and its stability and structural strength are designed in accordance with the safety requirements of level 16 typhoon sea conditions, which means that it has the ability to have unlimited navigation areas in global seas.
Ocean drilling is currently the longest-lasting, largest and most influential global scientific project. As the only means of deep seabed sampling, ocean drilling technology is a comprehensive integration of high-end human deep-sea exploration technologies and is known as the "crown" of the marine science community. "Whoever masters this technology will have the ability to find new resources outside the land and further explore the unsolved mysteries of the earth. Currently, the only countries with ocean drilling ships are the United States and Japan, but the "Dream" under construction is the only drilling ship in the world with a drilling capacity of 11,000 meters.
Yin Xianfeng, leader of the "Dream" construction supervision team of the Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey Bureau: The pressure of 11,000 meters is not only unbearable for humans, but also a challenge to equipment, water, electricity, fluids, and materials.
There is a saying in the field of drilling science that "drilling to a depth of 10,000 meters is as difficult as landing on the moon." In order to realize the dream of mankind's downward exploration, more than 150 domestic scientific research units have gathered to participate in the construction of the "Dream". The "Dream" has the world's largest shipboard laboratory with the most complete functions and the best processes. The total area Over 3,000 square meters, covering nine major laboratories including marine science, microbiology, and paleomagnetics.
This "sea giant", which belongs to the China Geological Survey of the Ministry of Natural Resources, started construction on November 30, 2021. It took just over two years to complete the main completion and launch test, and is expected to be fully completed this year.
To explore places that humans have never set foot on, building an ocean drilling ship is not enough. The "Dream" must be matched with strong land-based scientific research support. Not far from the ship construction site, China's first and world's largest marine geological core library has been fully constructed.
With the completion of the construction of the "Dream" and the core library, my country will have the ability to organize voyages independently like the United States, Japan, and Europe, and is expected to transform from a "participant" to a "leader."
At present, China is organizing the preparation of the "China Scientific Implementation Plan for International Ocean Drilling (2025-2035)", which focuses on national strategic needs and combines earth system science to propose scientific goals and priority research areas for China's ocean drilling for 2035, thereby having the opportunity to take the lead in opening up " Gate to the Center of the Earth.” (CCTV Finance)