China Becomes First Country to Lift 'Combustible Ice' From Ocean Floor

China has managed to successfully mine combustible ice in the South China Sea after nearly two decades of research and exploration.

The trial mining site is situated in the Shenhu area of the South China Sea. It is a major breakthrough that may lead to a global energy revolution, according to China’s Minister of Land and Resources Jiang Daming.

In a statement published on China’s government website it said that the natural gas hydrate is the best replacement for oil and natural gas.

Combustible ice usually exists in seabeds or tundra areas, which have the strong pressure and low temperature necessary to keep it stable. It can be ignited like solid ethanol, which is why it is called "combustible ice."

China first discovered combustible ice, a kind of natural gas hydrate that can be lit on fire and burned as fuel, in the South China Sea back in 2007.

CCTV channel, reported that samples of combustible ice were lifted from a depth of 1,266 meters in the South China Sea region, 285 kilometers from Hong Kong.

Китай опубликовал кадры успешной добычи "горючего льда" со дна Южно-Китайского моря https://t.co/msizfokO6q pic.twitter.com/mrzbtDuAsK

— РИА Новости (@rianru) May 18, 2017

Since May 10, the Chinese oil industry has produced 120,000 cubic meters of combustible ice which contains 99.5% of methane.

Experts believe that the extraction shows China has mastered combustible ice mining technology.

"Many countries along the Maritime Silk Road have a demand for combustible ice mining," Qiu Haijun, director of the trial mining commanding headquarters said, Shanghai Daily reported.

"With the advanced technology we could help resolve the energy resource problem and boost economic development and exchanges between countries," Qiu said.