Chinese vessel Mengxiang retrieves basalt samples from deep sea — ECNS

China announced the successful completion of the trial mission of the ocean drilling vessel Mengxiang in the South China Sea Basin. The vessel retrieved basalt samples from the deep-sea basin, ECNS reports, citing the China Geological Survey under the country’s Ministry of Natural Resources.

Drilling in the South China Sea Basin

The expedition lasted 30 days. During the mission, core drilling was conducted in the waters of the South China Sea Basin at a depth of 4,100 meters.

According to China’s Ministry of Natural Resources, after obtaining the basalt samples, Mengxiang set a national record for deep-sea drilling. The ministry stated that the vessel’s deep-sea drilling capabilities had reached a level of 5,000 meters.

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Claim of a global achievement

The China Geological Survey called the mission an important milestone. It claimed that China became the third country in the world to drill a deep-sea ocean basin using a drilling vessel and obtain hard-rock samples.

Mengxiang, whose name means “Dream,” is currently the world’s only ocean drilling vessel capable of drilling to a depth of up to 11,000 meters, the source claims.