China's Transport Ministry awards rescue vessel design contract

The vessel will have a full load displacement of 20,000 tons, a design speed of 17.5 knots, a range of 16,000 nautical miles, and a bollard pull of more than 350 tons. It will also be fitted with a helicopter deck forward of the superstructure as well as a working deck with a total area of 1,200 square metres for the transport of various rescue equipment including remotely operated vehicles and autonomous underwater vehicles.

In addition to being used for search and rescue, the vessel will also be equipped for emergency towing and external firefighting.

The deck equipment will meanwhile include 250-ton active heave compensated cranes.