SANYA, July 1. /TASS/. The Chinese research vessel Tanso-2, a support vessel for expeditions of deep-sea manned vehicles, returned to the port of Sanya after 18 months of reconstruction and repairs, reported Xinhua. 

The ship, painted in white and green, left the port of Fuzhou city (eastern Fujian province) last week on Thursday and docked at the port of Sanya on Sunday. The vessel, owned by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, is equipped with an advanced electric propulsion system and a positioning system that can generate sufficient power to provide deep-sea diving of manned vehicles.

Tanso-2 can take up to 60 researchers on board and serve as a support vessel for the new Chinese manned submarines Fendouzhe (Striver) and Shenhai Yongshi (Deep Sea Warrior). They are able to sink to a depth of 10,000 meters and 4,500 meters respectively.

The vessel is 87.2 meters long and 18.8 meters wide, its displacement at full load reaches 6,800 tonnes. Tanso-2 has a speed of 14.2 knots, and the range of the sea passage reaches 15,000 nautical miles, which exceeds the rate of a similar vessel of the previous generation (Tanso-1).

Hainan is setting up a big modern laboratory for deep-sea ocean research, which will contribute to the intensive development of the economic potential of the South China Sea. The object is located in Sanya, the authorities allocated 150 million yuan (about $ 21.6 million at the current rate) to the construction. One of the key aims of this innovative project is to join forces with other countries for the effective development of ocean resources located in remote areas at great depths.