China's first ice-breaking buoy tender to be delivered late 2020

China's first ice-breaking large buoy tender will be delivered to Tianjin by December 2020, in a bid to aid navigation in the North China Sea.

The buoy tender began construction in Wuhan, Hubei province on April 26, and will be in service at Tianjin's Navigation Guarantee Center of North China Sea after its delivery.

With an overall length of 74.9 meters, width of 14.3 meters, depth of 6.2 meters, and a displacement of 2,400 metric tons, it will be able to break 0.5 meters of ice at a five-knot sailing speed and 0.6 meters at a 3.5-knot of sailing speed, according to the Navigation Guarantee Center of North China Sea.

It is the country's first large-sized buoy tender equipped with a full electric drive system and double rotation rudder propulsion system, the center said.

The tender is expected to be used for the installation, withdrawal, and maintenance of assistant navigation facilities in China's frozen ports and channels, assisting with navigation in North China Sea.

Serving far sea shipping, it can connect signals from the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System and the Automatic Identification System, the two leading communication networks.

It will improve navigation and serve the Belt and Road Initiative and the integrated development of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province, according to the Navigation Guarantee Center of North China Sea.

The buoy tender was designed by the Marine Design & Research Institute of China.