Large deep-sea geophysical exploration vessel Haiyang Shiyou 720 equipped with Haijing system. (PHOTO: CNOOC)

By Staff Reporters

Recently, China's large deep-sea geophysical exploration vessel Haiyang Shiyou 720, equipped with a homegrown high-precision marine seismic prospecting system, set sail from Zhanjiang port to Indonesia, which is of great significance to promote the Belt and Road cooperation.

The prospecting system, named Haijing, is the first of its kind to operate overseas, providing a Chinese solution to global geological exploration, as well as supporting global offshore oil and gas development.

The Haijing system is composed of various functions, such as source control, trawl acquisition, integrated navigation, as well as a positioning and control system, which breaks the of sinking depth limit of 22 meters and greatly improves the resolution of seismic data. It is also China's first independently developed marine seismic exploration and acquisition system using submarine cables. 

Since it was equipped with the Haijing system in September 2022, the Haiyang Shiyou 720 has successfully completed a 3D seismic exploration area totaling 6,552 square kilometers in Chinese waters. It completed its first 3,000m-deep seabed geology exploration on December 21, 2023, which is also unprecedented in the country, according to its operator China National Offshore Oil Corporation.