This article summarizes the four main stages of the development of international ocean scientific drilling: deep sea drilling project, international ocean drilling program, integrated ocean drilling program and international ocean discovery program, and introduces the main scientific achievements obtained during each stage. China also participated in the above stages, leading four voyages across three ocean scientific drilling projects, and achieved a series of scientific achievements in the South China Sea. The development of international ocean scientific drilling is closely related to the development of ocean drilling vessels. The development of worldwide ocean scientific drilling equipment is chronologically introduced with a focus on the technical characteristics of China's first ocean scientific drilling vessel, the “Mengxiang”. Finally, the development of the ocean scientific drilling technology is analyzed based on the development history of the ocean drilling and the update and iteration of the ocean drilling vessels. It can provide references for the development of the international ocean scientific drilling.