Chinese oceanographic research ship Zhang Jian

Chinese oceanographic research ship Zhang Jian is a Chinese research ship designed by Shanghai Ocean University and built by the civilian owned Zhejiang TianShi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. (浙江天时造船有限公司) in Wenling, instead of government-owned enterprise, as in most cases of the ships in Chinese service.

Chinese research ship Zhang Jian is the newest research ship in China (as of 2015), and it is designed to have an endurance of 60 days before needing resupply. The ship is designed to be a multifunction ship capable of carrying out various missions that previously had to be performed by separate ships. The ship primarily functions as an oceanographic research ship, and at the same time, it can also acts as a dive tender, salvage ship, rescues ship, tourist ship, and mother ship of deep-submergence vehicle. In addition to the various scientific research equipment on board, the ship will be used a mother ship for Rainbowfish class bathyscaphe.

In addition to the bathyscaphe, the ship also carries other equipment for deep sea exploration, including an UUV and three benthic landers. Designed by the Shenyang Institute of Automation (SIA, 沈阳自动化研究所) of Chinese Academy of Sciences, the three benthic landers were originally to be capable of operating at the depth of 11000 meters. However, to keep us with the schedule of the ship, the goal was modified with lowered requirement for the first benthic lander, which would be utilizing foreign components purchased abroad and having a maximum operational depth of 7000 meter. The 11000 meter operational depth of the original goal will be achieved in the second and third units, which will completely indigenous, with the development scheduled to be completed in 2015. The first benthic lander begun sea trials in October 2014.