Photo: Screenshot from webiste news.southcn.com

 The world's first ship with an intelligent unmanned system was launched in Guangzhou, South China’s Guangdong Province on Wednesday. 

The ship, which was developed by the Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory in Zhuhai, Guangdong, is the world's first scientific research ship capable of remote control and autonomous navigation in open waters. It will provide an unprecedented tool for China to carry out marine scientific research and promote the development of the marine economy, according to China Central Television. 

The equipment on the ship is highly localized, and the core elements such as power system, propulsion system, and operation support system have all been independently developed by Chinese scientists.

The ship has a length of 88.5 meters, a width of 14.0 meters, a depth of 6.1 meters, a designed displacement of about 2,000 tons, a maximum speed of 18 knots, and an economic speed of 13 knots. 

With a spacious deck, the ship can carry a dozen different observation instruments. Construction of the ship began on July 20, 2021 and it is expected to be put into use by the end of this year. 

In the future, the application of the ship will be of great significance for changing the traditional ocean observation mode, obtaining real-time three-dimensional ocean observation data, improving the efficiency and level of ocean observation, and also contributing to the training of high-end marine scientific and technological talent and further enhancing the capability of ocean scientific and technological innovation.