Domestic heavy equipment ushers in high-tech 2018 for China

The Blue Whale II, China-produced and the world's largest offshore drilling rig, ships out for a test voyage from Yantai, Shandong Province on July 29, 2017. Designed to operate 3,700 meters underwater, the platform can drill down over 15-kilometers, nearly twice the height of Mount Everest. The 44,000-ton Blue Whale II can access around 95% of underwater areas on earth and can withstand hurricane-force winds of up to 200km/h. It will play a big role in China's clean energy exploration of mining combustible ice at sea. [Photo: VCG]