4D-Equipped Advanced Undersea Resource Exploration Vessel Debuts... HJ Heavy Industries Launches 'Tamhae 3' Ceremony

Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources Opens New Horizon in Seabed Exploration

A state-of-the-art underwater resource exploration research vessel equipped with 3D and 4D technology devices has been introduced.

HJ Heavy Industries (Shipbuilding Division CEO Yu Sang-cheol) completed the construction of the cutting-edge 3D/4D physical exploration research vessel commissioned by the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM) and held a launching ceremony combined with a naming ceremony on the 6th.

The event took place at the Busan Yeongdo Shipyard with about 200 attendees, including Kang Kyung-sung, the 2nd Vice Minister of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Lee Pyeong-gu, Director of KIGAM, Yu Sang-cheol, CEO of HJ Heavy Industries, and other related personnel.

Following shipbuilding industry tradition, Kim Yoon-mi, a senior researcher at KIGAM and a woman, performed the launching, and the ship was named "Tamhae 3-ho" to signify KIGAM's third physical exploration research vessel.

The launching and naming ceremony of the 3D/4D geophysical survey research vessel Tamhae 3 is underway.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and KIGAM have been striving since 2016 to secure the next-generation cutting-edge 3D/4D physical exploration research vessel due to the aging of Tamhae 2-ho, the only domestic physical exploration research vessel.

In 2021, HJ Heavy Industries was recognized for its competitiveness and won the project, completing the construction process at the Yeongdo Shipyard over the past two years, culminating in the launching and naming ceremony on this day.

Measuring 92 meters in length and 21 meters in width with a 6,000-ton class, Tamhae 3-ho is South Korea's first multipurpose physical exploration research vessel equipped with high-performance 3D/4D research equipment. It is a high-tech, high value-added vessel capable of exploration not only of the world's continental shelves but also oceans and polar regions.

In the future, it will carry out advanced three-dimensional underwater physical exploration and marine seismic 4D exploration missions for underwater energy resources and marine fault investigations.

The vessel is equipped with eight sets of seismic receivers (streamers that detect sound waves reflected from underwater terrain) spanning 6 kilometers, and it features underwater seismic exploration and ultra-high-resolution 4D monitoring capabilities.

With a crew of 50, it can sail at a maximum speed of 15 knots (28 km/h) and has a cruising range of 36,000 km, making round trips to the Arctic and Antarctic possible.

HJ Heavy Industries has devoted great effort to the construction of Tamhae 3-ho by employing advanced technologies such as an icebreaking hull for polar navigation, dynamic positioning control technology, noise control, and an automatic navigation system.

An HJ Heavy Industries official stated, "Tamhae 3-ho will be a cutting-edge research vessel capable of conducting research in any ocean worldwide, elevating South Korea's underwater exploration technology to a new level. From the national icebreaking research vessel Araon to Tamhae 3-ho, we will perfectly build world-class special-purpose vessels to enhance the nation's prestige."

After completing the final processes at HJ Heavy Industries' Yeongdo Shipyard, Tamhae 3-ho will undergo sea trials and test voyages to verify the performance of the installed equipment before being delivered to KIGAM.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.