The Chinese-built scientific expedition vessel Tan Suo Er Hao (Tansuo 2) embarked June 25 from Fuzhou on its maiden voyage for a celebrated arrival June 28 at Nanshan Port of Sanya Yazhou Bay Science & Technology City after being fueled by Zhuhai Port Tongjiang Material Supply.

The Tongjiang crew labored 10 hours under a scorching Fuzhou sun to fuel the ship with 800 tons of oil. A subsidiary of Zhuhai Port Holdings, Tongjiang has been the sole oil supplier to the Institute of Deep-Sea Science & Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) since 2018. It has provided all oil fueling for Tan Suo Yi Hao (Tansuo 1) whether at Sanya, on the South China Sea, or the Indian Ocean and in Africa on New Year's Day and during Spring Festival in 2019, earning high praise from CAS and the Chinese embassy in the island country Mauritius.

Tan Suo Er Hao being fueled in Fuzhou

The Tansuo-2 is China's first mother ship for manned submersibles that can reach a world-leading depth of 10,000 m (10,936 yd) using only domestically made devices. The mother ship is 87.2 m long (95.4 yd) and 18.8 m (20.6 yd) wide, with a full-load displacement of 6,800 tons. It has a maximum speed of 14.2 knots and cruising range of 15,000 nautical miles -- longer than that of the Tansuo 1.

According to industry insiders, the Tansuo 2 can carry 60 researchers and house the manned submersibles Fendouzhe (Striver) and Shenhai Yongshi (Deep Sea Warrior), which can reach depths of 10,000 m and 4,500 m (4,921 yd), respectively.

In addition to scientific expeditions, the ship can also be used for deep-sea scientific experiments relying on unmanned intelligent equipment. It will elevate China's overall level of core scientific expedition devices and propel development of the country's deep-sea engineering technology industry. 

Zhuhai Port Tongjiang Material Supply crew provides fuel to power the scientific research ship [Photos provided by Zhuhai Port Tongjiang Material Supply to Guanhai App]