Photo/Illutration The deep-sea drilling vessel Chikyu docks in Shizuoka in September 2024. (Chikako Kawahara)

The Japanese deep-sea drilling vessel Chikyu has been officially recognized by Guinness World Records for descending to the deepest depths ever explored in scientific ocean drilling. 

The record-setting feat, accomplished last year off the coast of northeastern Japan, reached a depth of 7,906 meters from the ocean surface.

The vessel surpassed its own mark of 7,753 meters set in 2012.

The drilling targeted the fault zone responsible for the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, as part of an international research initiative.

The operation, conducted 200 kilometers off Miyagi Prefecture, involved drilling into the seabed about 7 km below the ocean surface and extending several hundred meters into it.

Hiroyuki Yamato, president of the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), which operates Chikyu, expressed pride in the achievement at a certificate presentation ceremony in Tokyo on Sept. 24.

“This recognition is a testament to our technological capabilities,” Yamato said.

Mantle Quest Japan Co. also received a Guinness certificate for its vital role in Chikyu’s precision positioning during deep-sea drilling operations.

“This record highlights the global recognition of our advanced drilling and navigation technologies,” said company President Hiroyasu Ishiguro.

Equipped with a towering 70-meter derrick, Chikyu can drill directly beneath the ship to reach the Earth’s mantle--up to 7 km below the seafloor in shallower waters.

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