Underwater robot carrier undocks [Photo by Han Feng/Qingdao Today]

An underwater robot carrier and the CJ-46 self-elevating drilling platform, both built by CISC’s Wuchang Group at Qingdao’s Haixi Bay, undocked recently, signifying the group is on the road to maturity in terms of contracting construction of high-end ocean engineering equipment.

The custom-made underwater robot carrier is a special ship commissioned by European clients and is to be used in oil and gas exploitation and wind power generation at sea worldwide. It can operate in offshore areas of all countries and meet?regional standards on Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS).

At the undocking ceremony, the body of the ship was seen painted in orange and cream. Measuring 97.24 meters in length, 22 meter in width and 9.2 meters in depth, the ship has a draught of 5.7 meters. It is able to travel at 15 knots.?Its 1,100-square-meter deck has a payload of roughly 2,400 tons. Equipped with two sets of underwater robots, it can operate 3,000 meters underwater. The ship’s dynamic positioning system reaches a globally advanced level.

The CI-46 self-elevating drilling platform consists of a triangular main platform, a cantilever, a drilling system and three legs.

According to Wang Yu, President of Wuhan Ship Development and Design Institute, the platform has a total length of 65.25 meters and a width of 62 meters.?It weighs 10625 tons and its three?legs are 153.8 meters each. It is able to drill in water depths between 15 and 114 meters anywhere under any conditions in the world including southeast Asia and Middle East. It has a maximum drilling depth of 9,144 meters and its living quarters can accommodate 140 people.

Self-elevating drilling platform undocks?[Photo by Han Feng/Qingdao Today]