China's newly-designed scientific research vessel "Kexue", or "Science", is seen during its launching ceremony in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Nov. 30, 2011. China launched its new scientific research vessel here Wednesday. The vessel, 99.6 meters long and 17.8 wide, is equipped with a podded electric propulsion system. The ship also features world-class facilities for water body detection, atmospheric exploration, deep-sea environment exploration and remote sensing information research. The cruising capacity of the ship reaches 15,000 nautical miles at speeds up to 15 knots.
Construction of the vessel started last year after approval by the National Development and Reform Commission in 2007. With a total cost of 550 million yuan (86.4 million U.S. dollars), the vessel is expected to be put into use by June 2012.
The ship was built by Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Company Ltd., which is based in Hubei provincial capital Wuhan, and will be operated by the Institute of Oceanology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences upon delivery.
(Source: Xinhua)