New advanced rescue ship begins operations

China commissioned an advanced rescue ship on Tuesday, deploying it in the South China Sea for emergency response tasks.

The Nanhai Jiu 103 was delivered in October to the Nanhai Rescue Bureau, part of the Ministry of Transport. The bureau announced that the ship would start formal operations on Tuesday.

The vessel features air, surface and underwater rescue capabilities, high technology and a very long operational range, according to the ministry.

Designed by the Shanghai Merchant Ship Design and Research Institute under the State-owned conglomerate China State Shipbuilding Corp, the vessel is 136.9 meters long, 26.7 meters wide and weighs 19,000 metric tons when fully loaded.

It is capable of sailing nearly 30,000 kilometers or operating 90 days during a single operation without needing to reach port or receive supplies, the ministry said in a news release, adding that it can also accommodate a large helicopter and underwater robots for search and rescue.

The vessel is able to conduct search, rescue and salvage tasks for ships, aircraft and submarines in very tough conditions, as it can withstand typhoons as strong as 12 on the Beaufort scale, according to the Shanghai institute.

In addition to rescue and salvage operations, the ship can also be used to tow disabled ships, monitor oil spills, perform deep-water scanning and surveys, extinguish fires or ferry supplies to vessels in emergencies, designers said.

After the new vessel's commissioning, the Ministry of Transport now has 25 rescue ships, four helicopters and a number of first-response professionals, ensuring a 24-hour search-and-rescue capability, it noted.