China has shown off its largest and most advanced dredging vessel — which it calls "a magic island-maker" — state-run media reported Saturday.
The dredger, the same kind of vessel used to create several China-held islets in the disputed South China Sea, was launched Friday at a port in eastern Jiangsu province, the China Daily newspaper said.
"With a full displacement of 17,000 metric tons, the 140-meter-long ship is capable of dredging as much as 6,000 cubic meters of sand or clay per hour from 35 meters below the water's surface, a capacity that means it could dig three standard swimming pools in an hour," the paper said.