Japan logs world record by drilling in seabed 5,815 meters deep
Tuesday, August 15th 2006
A Japanese deep-water research vessel succeeded in drilling in the seabed 5,815 meters deep, setting a world record for deep-sea boring with the use of remote-controlled cables and drilling tools, the government said Monday.
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said the vessel managed to extract deep-sea sediments in a pipe 4.4 meters long off the Ogasawara Islands in the Pacific in a drilling conducted June 23.
The previous record, set by a U.S. vessel using a similar method, was 2,400 meters, METI said.
Deep Ocean Resources Development Co., a research company specializing in deep-sea minerals, is considering registering the feat with the Guinness Book of World Records. METI commissioned the drilling as part of the country’s survey of continental shelves.
Previously, a U.S. ship succeeded in drilling in a seabed 5,980 meters deep with the use of vertically drawn down pipes, METI said.
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