China unveils super-fast unmanned submersible "blue whale"

A major milestone in China's marine technology was marked by the successful launch of an advanced high-speed submersible unmanned surface vehicle called "Blue Whale."

The event, which took place on April 28 in Zhuhai city in Guangdong province, southern China, is considered a major step forward in the country's development of smart ocean devices.

According to information from Zhuhai Yunzhou, one of the units in charge of developing this project, designed with the ability to operate flexibly both on water and under the sea, "Blue Whale" impresses with its speed on water up to 36 nautical miles/hour.

In particular, the ship is capable of diving deep to avoid harsh weather conditions such as large storms and maintaining a static floating state underwater for up to 1 month.

With its superior features, "Blue Whale" promises to provide the ability to respond quickly to emergency situations, while improving efficiency in meteorological research activities, seabed mapping, underwater photography, water sample collection, and inspection and maintenance of underground infrastructure works such as submarine optical cables.

Wu Guosong, chief engineer of the submarine project at Zhuhai Yunzhou, highlighted the unique ability of the vessel to deploy meteorological sensors in the area near the eye of the typhoon. This allows for the collection of important atmospheric and oceanic data, contributing to typhoon forecasting and research.

The project to build a technical model of the "Blue Whale" was launched in June 2024, going through complex stages such as high-pressure welding, hull assembly and integration of equipment systems.

Final stages, including internal calibration, mooring trials and further sea trials, are expected to be completed before the ship is officially commissioned in 2026./.

(Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/trung-quoc-trinh-lang-tau-lan-khong-nguoi-lai-sieu-toc-ca-voi-xanh-post1035645.vnp