The Ministry of Transport signed a contract with the China State Shipbuilding Corporation on Dec. 19 to start construction on two new types of all-weather large oceanic salvage ships equipped with a medium-sized rescue helicopter landing platform and hangar.

According to Song Jiahui, a high-ranking official from the Ministry of Transport, the two new vessels, independently researched and developed by the Shanghai Merchant Ship Design and Research Institute, have 14,000 kilowatts of power each.

The vessel will have a total length of 117 meters with 16.2 meters of molded breadth and 7.8 meters of molded depth. It has a range of 10,000 nautical miles and a rescue loading capacity of 200 people.

China has had a 14,000-kilowatt large salvage ship, named 'the South China Sea 101,' in service since 2007, and it has performed outstandingly.

But what distinguishes the new ships from the 'South China Sea 101″ is that they are expected to contain a helicopter landing platform and hangar, which is capable of accommodating medium-sized rescue helicopters as well as conducting refuel and recharge operations in concert with rescue helicopters to conduct oceanic research and rescue operations.

The vessels are expected to be equipped with the Dynamic Positioning System II, which can meet the demand of extensive operations under extreme sea conditions and improve the accuracy and reliability of ship control. The ships are also capable of carrying a variety of special equipments and conducting special operations, Song said.

It was reported that the two vessels are expected to be delivered in 2012 and will serve as a rescue flagship in the Northern China Sea and Eastern China Sea, respectively, to strengthen sea rescue capacity.

The official said at present there is one 14,000-kilowatt large salvage tug ship and 12 8,000-kilowatt salvage tug ships. The number of all-weather oceanic salvage ships is expected to reach up to 25 during the 12th Five-Year Plan, which will be more than any other country in the world.