What kind of ship is Chikyū?

Chikyū is an offshore unit sailing under the flag of Japan, built in 2005 by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. The vessel is 210 m long with a beam of 38 m and has a gross tonnage of 56,752.

Who is recorded as the owner or manager of Chikyū?

Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology is recorded as Registered owner for Chikyū (source: Wikidata). This source record does not independently confirm today’s ownership or management.

What sanctions and inspection records does Voydar hold for Chikyū?

Voydar has no matched sanctions record displayed for Chikyū from the OFAC SDN list, the UK Sanctions List, the Canadian autonomous sanctions list, the EU list of designated vessels and the New Zealand Russia Sanctions Register. Coverage may be incomplete; this is not sanctions clearance. No matched inspection records are displayed for Chikyū. Missing records do not establish whether the ship has been detained.

Chikyū

Offshore unit · Japan · built 2005 · AIS Class A

IMO9234044MMSI432522000Call signJRAJLast AIS position Sep 22, 2026, 00:07 UTC

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In short

Chikyū (Offshore unit, Japan flag) was last seen on AIS on Sep 22, 2026, 00:07 UTC, not moving, near Shimizu (North Pacific Ocean). Voydar has no more recent AIS position for this ship. Its current location cannot be established from this report. Registered owner: Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (source: Wikidata).

Vessel type: Offshore unit
Flag: Japan
Year built: 2005
Gross tonnage: 56,752
Size (length × beam): 210 m × 38 m
Registered owner: Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology

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Last reported position

received Sep 22, 2026, 00:07 UTC

Position: 35.0441° N, 138.6239° E
Area: North Pacific Ocean
StatusWhat do AIS statuses mean?: Under way using engine
Speed: 0 kn
Course: 147°
Heading: 66°

35.0441° N, 138.6239° E

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Voydar detected no port call in the last 30 days.

Port calls are detected by Voydar from AIS (at least 30 minutes slow inside a harbour area); see Port calls below.

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Identity & particulars

Name: Chikyū
IMO numberWhat is an IMO number?: 9234044
MMSIWhat is an MMSI?: 432522000
Call signWhat is a call sign?: JRAJ
Flag: Japan
Vessel type: Offshore unit
AIS ship type: Other
Gross tonnageGross tonnage vs deadweight: 56,752
Length overall: 210 m
Beam: 38 m
Year built: 2005

A tag next to a value names the register that supplied it (hover or tap it for the record and date). Values without a tag come from the ship's own AIS broadcasts or from Wikidata. Position and identity are derived live from AIS.

Ownership & management

Each line shows where the fact comes from. Links backed by an identifier point to the company page.

Registered owner: Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology
Source: Wikidata · reported · confidence 0.8 · retrieved Sep 22, 2026
Builder: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Source: Wikidata · reported · confidence 0.8 · retrieved Sep 22, 2026

About Chikyū

Chikyū (ちきゅう) is a Japanese scientific drilling ship built for the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP). The vessel is designed to ultimately drill 7 km (4.3 miles) beneath the seabed, where the Earth's crust is much thinner, and into the Earth's mantle, deeper than any other hole drilled in the ocean thus far. While the planned depth of the hole is significantly less than the Russian Kola Superdeep Borehole (which reached 12 km or 7.5 miles depth on land), the scientific results are expected to be much more interesting since the regions targeted by Chikyū include some of the most seismically active regions of the world. Other deep holes have been drilled by the drill ship JOIDES Resolution during the Deep Sea Drilling Project and the Ocean Drilling Program.

Summary from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA.

Frequently asked questions

Where is Chikyū now?: Chikyū (Offshore unit, Japan flag) was last seen on AIS on Sep 22, 2026, 00:07 UTC, not moving, near Shimizu (North Pacific Ocean). Voydar has no more recent AIS position for this ship. Its current location cannot be established from this report.
What kind of ship is Chikyū?: Chikyū is an offshore unit sailing under the flag of Japan, built in 2005 by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. The vessel is 210 m long with a beam of 38 m and has a gross tonnage of 56,752.
Who is recorded as the owner or manager of Chikyū?: Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology is recorded as Registered owner for Chikyū (source: Wikidata). This source record does not independently confirm today’s ownership or management.
What sanctions and inspection records does Voydar hold for Chikyū?: Voydar has no matched sanctions record displayed for Chikyū from the OFAC SDN list, the UK Sanctions List, the Canadian autonomous sanctions list, the EU list of designated vessels and the New Zealand Russia Sanctions Register. Coverage may be incomplete; this is not sanctions clearance. No matched inspection records are displayed for Chikyū. Missing records do not establish whether the ship has been detained.

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