{"id":60135720,"date":"2026-05-27T15:06:05","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T14:06:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/?post_type=news_digest&p=60135720"},"modified":"2026-06-02T15:06:38","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T14:06:38","slug":"chinas-first-fisher-funded-research-vessel-launched","status":"publish","type":"news_digest","link":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/digest\/chinas-first-fisher-funded-research-vessel-launched\/","title":{"rendered":"China\u2019s first fisher-funded research vessel launched"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In Wenling, a coastal city in eastern China\u2019s Zhejiang province, a group of fishers launched an unusual project onto the water on 5 May: a large, ocean-going scientific research vessel arranged by private investors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Zhejiang TV<\/a>, the vessel, which has been named Haiying Jiake<\/em> (Sea Eagle Tech+), is China\u2019s first ocean-class research ship to be fully financed, built and operated privately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Behind the project is Cai Yunjie, from the fishing town of Shitang on China\u2019s east coast. He became a fisher at 18 before going on to run a shipping business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cai told Zhejiang TV that the idea for the Haiying Jiake came after a conversation with university researchers. At a marine-themed lecture in early 2024, he learned that many Chinese students of the ocean have little opportunity to conduct field research at sea. Visiting several universities and research institutes, he concluded that China indeed had a shortage of research vessels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought we could build a platform for these students to go out and do research,\u201d he told Zhejiang TV.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cai began raising money from fellow fishing industry operators, mostly from Shitang and the nearby town of Songmen. Some were owners of large fishing boats, others ordinary workers in the sector. Together, the group raised around 150 million yuan (USD 21 million). Individual investments ranged from tens of thousands of yuan to several million. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One such investor, Liang Weihua, told Zhejiang TV of their initial scepticism \u2013 marine science was \u201ca completely unknown field\u201d for traditional fishers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The vessel is 82 metres long, with a full-load displacement of 3,500 tonnes and a range of around 10,000 nautical miles. Kitted out with a variety of features to aid its purpose, the Haiying Jiake can support operations in waters as deep as 4.5 km.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to China News<\/a>, the vessel will generate its operating funds by providing services for universities and research institutes. For example, marine resource surveys, seabed mapping and biological sampling. The operators also plan to expand into commercial activities, such as offshore windfarm maintenance and subsea engineering support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

China has expanded investment in marine science and deep-sea technology in recent years, under its national \u201cmaritime power<\/a>\u201d strategy \u2013 more money is flowing into polar<\/a> research vessels, deep-sea submersibles<\/a> and marine engineering equipment<\/a>. But these projects are usually operated by state institutions, or government-backed research bodies. Cai Yunjie\u2019s efforts signal the emergence of private Chinese capital into the national ocean space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Haiying Jiake is expected to enter service this August.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In Wenling, a coastal city in eastern China\u2019s Zhejiang province, a group of fishers launched an unusual project onto the water on 5 May: a large, ocean-going scientific research vessel arranged by private investors. According to Zhejiang TV, the vessel, which has been named Haiying Jiake (Sea Eagle Tech+), is China\u2019s first ocean-class research ship […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":60006658,"template":"","categories":[50039901],"tags":[545,20000628],"country":[20000110],"digest-collection":[50039911,50039912],"class_list":["post-60135720","news_digest","type-news_digest","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ocean","tag-fisheries","tag-science","country-china"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nChina\u2019s first fisher-funded research vessel launched | Dialogue Earth<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/digest\/chinas-first-fisher-funded-research-vessel-launched\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"China\u2019s first fisher-funded research vessel launched\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In Wenling, a coastal city in eastern China\u2019s Zhejiang province, a group of fishers launched an unusual project onto the water on 5 May: a large, ocean-going scientific research vessel arranged by private investors. 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