SANYA /China/, September 17. /TASS/. China's Tansuo-2 research vessel along with the Shenhai Yongshi deep-sea manned submersible on board set off on an expedition to the South China Sea on September 16. This was reported by the Hainan Daily newspaper.

There are 60 crew members on board the vessel. A number of scientific projects related to geological exploration and testing of some equipment are planned to be carried out during the expedition. The return from Sanya is scheduled for the end of September.

During previous missions, scientists on the Tansuo-2 worked on, among other things, exploring biological resources, studying the environment, testing descent vehicles and testing deep-sea intelligent equipment.

Hainan is in the process of establishing a large, state-of-the-art laboratory for deep ocean research that will facilitate the intensive development of the economic potential of the South China Sea. The facility is located in the city of Sanya. One of the key objectives of this innovative project is to join forces with other countries to effectively develop deep ocean resources in hard-to-reach areas.