It was completed at the end of September, and the air-planes flew in the super-low altitude above the floating structure, and the demonstrative tests were carried out on the functions of the equipment to support the landing and taking-off of the aircraft. In 2000, the demonstrative tests will be carried out including the actual landing and taking-off of airplanes, and the researches on the development of the simulation program, the evaluation of the influence on the environment, and the evaluation of the safety.
14.4 Ocean Observation
The research on the deep-sea drilling technology development (OD21 Project) has been promoted by the Japan Marine Science and Technology Center. This is because many needs for scientific drilling are distributed over the waters of at least 2500m in depth under the leadership of the International Deep-sea Drilling Plan (ODP). The specifications and basic plans of a deep-sea survey ship to be used in this project are summarized. The construction of the ship will be started around the fall in 2000.
The ship uses the riser drilling technology to be used in the oil drilling field, and is capable of drilling the sea bed area with oil and gas, and its contribution of the ship to the search of geophysics, the biology and the resources such as gas hydrate is expected.
14.5 Ocean Civil Engineering
MHI built the submersible, walking-leg type dredger "Futaba No.2" for the dredging works of the exclusive port for the First and Second Fukushima Atomic Power Stations of TEPCO. This is advantageous in that it can be operated under the violent sea condition and does not obstruct the transport of navigating ships by operating the dredger in a submerged condition. This is the second dredger, and improved by about 30% in dredging ability compared with the first one by introducing the floating and submerged operation by the remote ballasting/deballasting system, the automatic integrated greasing system to the sliding parts, and the continuously dredging application action by employing the bent-type rudder, increasing the speed in data transmission, and the automation of the dredging works.
[Tsukasa KAMATA]
