High-tech vessel joins nation's maritime fleet

China's latest ocean patrol ship was delivered for service in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, on Wednesday, as the nation seeks to bolster its fleet that safeguards its territorial claims and other interests in the South China Sea and other waters.

The 3,000-ton Zhong Guo Yu Zheng 44002 was built by Guangzhou Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding Co, a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corp, for the Shenzhen Comprehensive Marine Law Enforcement Detachment, which will operate the vessel.

It is the most advanced ocean law enforcement ship China has produced. It is 116.4 meters long, has a width of 15 meters and a depth of 5.9 meters. The ship is capable of cruising at 25 knots, or about 47 kilometers per hour.

Zhao Yongsheng from the Shenzhen Marine Comprehensive Law Enforcement Detachment and Chen Biaohong, a representative from Wenchong Shipbuilding Co, signed the delivery documents on behalf of both parties on Wednesday.

Gao Erjian, deputy director of the Shenzhen city planning and natural resources bureau, said the ship will help the country strengthen its maritime law enforcement and will play an active role in promoting the construction of China's maritime economy.

"We will make great efforts to use and maintain the ship, allowing it to play its maximum role in carrying out the country's maritime law enforcement work, contributing to safeguarding China's maritime rights and interests," he said.

Li Kai, deputy general manager of Guangzhou Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding Co, said the ship was a key project for Shenzhen's journey to become a global maritime center.

"The service of the ship will significantly improve the level of Shenzhen's marine comprehensive law enforcement equipment," he said.

"With its world-class technical performance and equipment facilities, the ship will help Shenzhen promote its deep-sea industrial development."

The ship is equipped with two state-of-the-art MTU8200KW main engines, and can achieve automatic conversion of its diesel and electric power supply system.

The ship uses up-to-date equipment such as intelligent navigation, satellite navigation, unmanned aerial vehicle inspection and optoelectronic evidence collecting.

The vessel's advanced ship intelligence system, intelligence command system and remote communication management system can achieve interconnectivity among various computers and terminal equipment throughout the ship, and accurately evaluate and predict safety based on equipment operation status.