The Multi-Purpose Oceanographic Research Vessel (MORV) KEXUE is one of the national major science and technology infrastructures to undertake multi-disciplinary deep ocean research. She started its construction in October 2010 by Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Co., Ltd. in Wuhan, delivered to the Institute of Oceanography, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IOCAS) in September 2012, and passed the national acceptance in April 2015.

As the first in the class of 4,000-ton research vessels in China with independent intellectual property rights for deep sea comprehensive exploration, RV KEXUE can conduct scientific research surveys worldwide, with the endurance of 60 days, 80 berths and a range of 15,000 nautical miles. Fitted with the up-to-date and high-tech instruments and equipment to investigate low altitude atmosphere, water, deep sea, seabed, and shallow strata, she is ideal for scientific research missions of ocean circulation and climate change, marine dynamic process and natural hazards, deep-sea biological/gene resources and biodiversity, ocean ecosystem and carbon cycle, hydrothermal system in the mid-ocean ridge and continental margins and deep earth processes, and formation mechanism of deep-sea oil and gas resource, etc.