The Chikyu is a riser-equipped, dynamically positioned, a riser-equipped, dynamically positioned, riser-equipped, dynamically positioned, , scientific drill ship owned and operated by the Japan Agency the Japan Agency Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC). Chikyu was delivered in 2005 and is preparing for the IODP scientific drilling operation (Curewitz et al., 2006;Taira, 2005). For specifications, see Table 1.