A new cutting-edge multifunctional scientific research vessel was delivered on Thursday in Nansha district of Guangzhou, Guangdong province. It will play an important role in enhancing China's ocean exploration and scientific research capabilities.

The Tansuo 3, or Exploration 3, built by Guangzhou Shipyard International Co, has overcome the design difficulties of other full-sea operating vessels, said He Guangwei, deputy chief engineer of GSI and chief designer of the vessel.

"It can operate in polar areas, breaking 120-centimeter-thick ice covered with 20 centimeters of snow," He said. "During the trial voyage, we encountered waves exceeding 4 meters, but our ship was able to sail at full speed when its wave resistance was tested."

With all intellectual property rights owned by China, the domestically designed ship is the country's first comprehensive scientific research vessel with global deep sea exploration coverage — including polar regions — and can support manned deep-sea diving in ice-covered waters, official reports said.

The vessel provides guidance and underwater operation support for deep-sea archaeology and supports the offshore testing and application of deep-sea core technology equipment.

In addition to deep-sea scientific exploration and cultural archaeology, the vessel can also carry out scientific exploration of polar waters in summer, which will expand China's manned deep-sea diving capability to the full sea, effectively enhancing deep-sea archaeological operations.

The vessel is 104 meters long, with a draft displacement of 10,000 metric tons and a maximum speed of 16 knots (about 30 kilometers per hour).

It can bidirectionally break ice from both bow and stern.

The vessel can accommodate more than 80 crew members and has a cruising range of 15,000 nautical miles.

GSI, a Shanghai Stock Exchange listed company located on Longxue Island at the mouth of the Pearl River, is a subsidiary of State-owned China State Shipbuilding Corp.