China launches self-developed seabed seismic exploration equipment

(ECNS) -- China’s self-developed seabed seismic exploration equipment "Haimai" has entered operation in the Bohai Sea, according to China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) on Thursday.

The equipment can capture seismic wave signals equivalent to the sound of a mosquito 1/150th of its size from the depths of up to 10,000 meters, thus depicting high-definition oil and gas reservoir data. This marks a significant milestone for China in advancing high-end marine oil and gas exploration technology.

Ruan Fuming, an expert in marine oil technology, said that "Haimai" has the advantages of small size and can be deployed flexibly. It also features wide adaptability to water depth, and high performance in ultra-low frequencies. Its data collection capacity is four times that of conventional towed-cable models, enabling it to clearly observe oil and gas reservoirs buried several kilometers deep, according to the expert.

During operation, staff will deploy thousands of "Haimai" nodes according to the design requirements, using specialized deployment equipment to place them in a systematic manner at specified locations on the seabed, forming a vast information collection network covering the ocean floor.

Each node acts like a "stethoscope" pressed onto the "acupoints" of seabed reservoirs, receiving seismic wave signals reflected from the subsea strata and recording them as data.

Once the operation is completed, the nodes are retrieved, and the collected data is downloaded and analyzed. The processed data is then transformed into seismic profiles, allowing for precise "pulse diagnosis" of the subsea strata.