Ocean science drilling and underwater technologies

A new international science program is going to start from 2003 named IODP (Integrated Ocean Drilling Program). The major tools of this science program are drillships, and they drill and get cores from beneath the deep ocean floor around the world. One of the drillships is capable of "riser drilling", and it has already had a launching ceremony. It is the "Chikyu". Although the primary purpose of this program is science, tremendous technology development is a necessary and indispensable factor to the success of this program. Also, the "Chikyu" can become a test bed for new technology development. The underwater technology is one of the major keys for this development. This paper describes the IODP and how the new underwater technologies are expected.