So this ship exists, but the funding for the expeditions have been cancelled from the NSF (US). The wrinkle at the end seems to posit the China challenge - and

So this ship exists, but the funding for the expeditions have been cancelled from the NSF (US). The wrinkle at the end seems to posit the China challenge - and possibly that's for the best as the US seems to have given up on non-military seafaring ventures.