An aerial view of the Tenglong Shipyard in Wenling, a county-level city in Taizhou. [Photo/the official news website of Taizhou]

Fishermen in Taizhou, East China's Zhejiang province, are advancing the construction of a collectively funded ocean research vessel aimed at supporting China's growing demand for marine science.

At the Tenglong Shipyard in Wenling, workers have completed the assembly of the vessel's lower hull, marking a key milestone in the project, which is scheduled for completion in early 2026.

The plan began in 2024, when Wenling's fishermen learned that the country faced a significant shortage of research vessels, limiting talent development and marine research capacity. After months of consultation and fieldwork, 37 fishermen from towns across Wenling agreed to pool their resources to address this gap. Together, they raised more than 130 million yuan ($18.32 million) and launched construction of a deep-ocean research vessel in March this year.

The vessel, now taking shape, is designed with a full-load displacement of 3,500 metric tons and a range of 10,000 nautical miles, enabling unrestricted global operations. Once completed, it will be equipped with integrated sea-air-submersible observation systems covering multiple disciplines and support a broad range of research missions, including marine resource exploration, seabed mapping, and biological sampling.