China unveils yet another ‘Magical Island Maker’
सारांश
- China has unveiled a new dredging ship capable of creating islands such as those Beijing has already built in the disputed South China Sea.
- Described as a “magical island-maker” by the institute that designed it, the vessel was unveiled on the eve of US President Donald Trump’s tour of Asia.
- China has been accused of creating artificial islands in the South China Sea to bolster its claims over the contested waters.
China has unveiled a new dredging ship capable of creating islands such as those Beijing has already built in the disputed South China Sea.
Described as a “magical island-maker” by the institute that designed it, the vessel was unveiled on the eve of US President Donald Trump’s tour of Asia.
China has been accused of creating artificial islands in the South China Sea to bolster its claims over the contested waters. The strategic sea is also claimed by Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.
The vessel has a highly symbolic name: Tian Kun Hao: a legendary enormous fish which can turn into a mythical bird. At 140m long, it’s the biggest ship of its kind in China and – according to the designers – in Asia. It appears to be a lot more powerful than China’s current dredging vessels, and is capable of digging 6,000 cubic metres an hour, the equivalent of three standard swimming pools, from 35m below the water’s surface.
It can dredge anything from sand and mud to coral. It cuts material out from the sea bed, suctions it up and conveys it to as far as 15km from the ship to pile it up and form new “reclaimed” land. (punandjokes.com)
Similar – though smaller – vessels were used to build islands in the South China Sea starting in late 2013.
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