Status Report on Deep Sea Drilling Vessel “CHIKYU” -Design and SIT Operation

摘要

JAMSTEC developed the deep sea scientific drilling vessel CHIKYU to drill the sea floor, recover core samples, and analyze these on board to obtain important scientific information.. The most important of these information, previously targeted by Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP), includes the studies of deep biosphere, environmental change, and solid earth cycle. CHIKYU was delivered to JAMSTEC in July 2005 and the shakedown, training, System Integration Tests (SITs) were initiated shortly thereafter. JAMSTEC will start the scientific drilling operation for IODP beginning in September 2007. The first site for drilling is planned at the Nankai Trough where the subduction plate boundary was the source of many great earthquakes repeatedly. This paper describes basic characteristics of CHIKYU and the planned functions, summarizes soon to be completed SIT results and lists the planned technological enhancements for CHIKYU.