Chinese underwater explorer dives deep in hunt for oil and gas
Home-grown Haijing system seeks out offshore oil reserves and can detect ocean earthquakes, state broadcaster saysSystem uses 10 detection cables attached to ship to collect real-time seismic dataScienceHolly ChikPublished: 4:30pm, 2 Oct, 2023Why you can trust SCMP
A Chinese marine explorer is scouring new ocean depths to detect offshore oil reserves and earthquakes, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
The geophysical exploration ship Haiyang Shiyou 720, or Offshore Oil 720, deployed the home-grown Haijing system to 3,000 metres (8,850 feet) below the surface in the South China Sea, CCTV reported on Sunday.
The system is towed by the ship and gathers data using 10 detection cables – each more than 8km (5 miles) long.
The data will be used to create a geological map of the seabed in the area.
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Why the South China Sea dispute remains one of the region’s most pressing issues
Why the South China Sea dispute remains one of the region’s most pressing issuesThe Haijing system is run by the state-owned China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), the country’s largest offshore oil and gas producer.