All aboard

Domestically developed dredger Tiankun digs up mud at a port in Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province, to clean the waterways on December 28, 2019 (VCG)
Deep-sea submersible Striver is retrieved. It set a national record by diving down to a depth of 10,909 meters in the Mariana Trench in November 2020 (XINHUA)
The model of unmanned submersible Haidou-1 is on display at the 22nd China International Industry Fair in Shanghai, on September 15, 2020 (XINHUA)
Members of China’s 37th Antarctic expedition wave from the Xuelong 2 icebreaker after returning to Shanghai on May 6 (VISUAL PEOPLE)
The Zhenhua 30, one of the world’s largest crane ships, is used in the construction of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge on May 2, 2017. The ship was built by Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co. Ltd. (XINHUA)

From Admiral Zheng He's giant wooden sailing boats that delivered silk, tea and other treasures from China to many parts of the world some 600 years ago, China has traveled a long way in marine technology.

It boasts some of the field's superlatives, such as the domestically developed Zhenhua 30, one of the world's largest crane vessels, and the Tiankun dredger, capable of digging up 6,000 cubic meters of silt per hour, making it Asia's largest and most advanced cutter-suction dredger.

Moreover, Chinese scientists are making headway in exploring uncharted waters like the Arctic, with their 12th Arctic expedition currently underway.

Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon

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