China is set to conduct sea trials for its first ocean research drilling vessel, the Mengxiang.

This vessel is capable of drilling at depths of more than 10,000 meters, making it a significant step towards enhancing China’s deep-sea oil and gas exploration capabilities.

Mengxiang is equipped with advanced technology and can travel 15,000 nautical miles (27,780 kilometers) and operate for 120 consecutive days without returning to port. This makes it capable of navigating in any sea in any part of the world. With a depth capacity of 11,000 meters below sea level.

The Mengxiang sea trials came as tensions rose in the resource-rich South China Sea and after Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said that his country could start new energy exploration projects in the disputed waterway.

China and the Philippines have traded accusations over repeated ship encounters in the South China Sea.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea, which is a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce, including parts of the sea claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei.

Notably, in March, China and the Philippines resumed discussions about jointly exploring oil and gas resources in the South China Sea, which has an average depth of more than 1,200 meters. However, according to Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., “very little progress” has been made.