China commissions deepwater multifunctional ship

BEIJING: A multifunctional deepwater ship that has a 366-ton towing capacity, built for a 3,000-meter deepwater jumbo oil drilling platform has been commissioned in China's eastern Jiangsu Province.

The "Offshore Oil 691" ship, designed by Rolls-Royce Marine and Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Group, was backed by investment of more than 800 million yuan (about USD 126 million).

"The highlight of the ship is that it has a 366-ton towing capacity, allowing it to tow any oil drilling platform in the world," Yang Zhigang, chairman of the board of the shipbuilding company was quoted as saying by state-run Xinhua news agency.

The ship, which comes in at 93.4 meters long and 22 meters wide, is equipped with a 100-ton active heavy compensation crane, a helicopter deck and other advanced facilities.

The ship can undertake water and oil supply missions and support underwater robot missions. It can also collect floating oil and carry out fire control work.

The ship was delivered to China Oilfield Service Ltd.