Sanya /China/, October 28. /TASS/. Chinese research ship Tansuo-2 (translated as Exploration-2) with a deep-sea manned submersible Shenhai Yongshi (Deep Sea Warrior) on board has completed the expedition and returned to the port of Sanya (Hainan Province). The Hainan Daily newspaper wrote about it.
The main task of the expedition was to test some types of deep-water equipment related to the project of an experimental underwater scientific station. For the first time, Chinese specialists integrated high-power lithium solid-state batteries into the deep-sea equipment. The tests were conducted at a kilometer depth, and the safety and controls of this technology were tested.
The Shenhai Yongshi deep-sea submersible made its 500th dive in 11 days of the mission. The maximum depth this time was 1,450 meters. The vehicle spent a total of nine hours underwater and successfully returned to the surface.
Shenhai Yongshi has been involved in 41 expeditions since August 2017. Dives took place in the South China Sea, the southwestern Indian Ocean and the Mariana Trench in the western Pacific. The longest dive lasted 12 hours and 53 minutes and the depth record for this vehicle was 4,546 meters.
Hainan is currently setting up a major state-of-the-art laboratory for deep ocean research that will facilitate the intensive development of the South China Sea's economic potential. The facility is located in the city of Sanya, and the authorities have allocated 150 million yuan (about $23 million) for its development. One of the key objectives of this innovative project is to join forces with other countries to effectively develop ocean resources in hard-to-reach areas at great depths.