The top-notch scientific research vessel TAN KAH KEE arrives safely at its home port of Xiamen, Fujian province on April 1. The vessel is named after the founding father of Xiamen University and its intellectual property rights are fully owned by the school. [Photo/sunnews.cn]

The top-notch scientific research vessel TAN KAH KEE safely returned home to Xiamen, Fujian province on April 1.

Named after the founding father of Xiamen University, the ship is the first of its kind in China with complete intellectual property rights owned by the school.

The 77.7 meter-long ship perfectly integrates foreign designs and domestic modifications. It accommodates 54 people and houses first-class facilities for research and experiments.

Being extremely quiet is the most distinctive feature of the vessel which was the first in China to meet the Silent A+S noise class specifications developed by international consulting firm Det Norske Veritas.

"You can even hear a pin drop," said Captain Yin Long.

The vessel is also installed with an ultra-clean aqua sampling system, which technological director Wang Haili said is equaled by no more than five vessels in the world.

Equipped with high-performance devices such as detectors on its wings and multi-beam devices on its keel, the vessel can very clearly see any underwater environment, and is thus capable of carrying out highly precise deep-sea investigations.

The vessel is able to take and analyze samples from the environment, providing technicians with real-time observations and measurements in various fields like hydrology, chemistry, biology, geophysics and atmospheric quality.

Zhu Chongshi, president of Xiamen University, said that with the support of the school's Malaysian Campus the vessel will be the main force of China's deep-sea research for decades. It will also assist Southeast Asia's research into global change and education in marine science while promoting the school's internationalization.

TAN KAH KEE arrives safely at Xiamen, Fujian province on April 1, with a banner saying "I'm home!" hanging on the gunwale. [Photo/xmu.edu.cn]