Jiaolong News

China Shipbuilding Industry Corp (CSIC) is developing a manned submersible vehicle, which would be able to dive into Challenger Deep, the deepest point on Earth estimated to be around 10,900m below the surface, Xinhua news agency reported. CSIC is almost done building a new cost-efficient manned submersible that could reach the majority of seabeds in the world. The development of deep-sea manned submersibles for rough seas would be one of CSIC's priorities in 2017. The vessel, now under final assembly and testing phase, will be equipped with five observation windows and three seats. If successful, the Chinese submersible would be the third to reach the bottom of Challenger Deep, also in the Mariana Trench.

China on Friday adopted a new law on deep sea exploration, state media said, the country's latest move to cement its status as a seagoing power. President Xi Jinping is reforming the military and investing in submarines and aircraft carriers, as China's navy becomes more assertive in its territorial disputes in the East and South China Seas. The new law will "protect the rightful interests of Chinese citizens and organisations in their search for resources and in deep sea surveys," the official Xinhua news agency said after China's top legislature passed the measure. "Exploration and development should be peaceful and cooperative, in addition to protecting the maritime environment and safeguarding the common interests of mankind," it added.

A Chinese submarine has started to search an area of the Indian Ocean for seabed deposits of gold, silver, copper and zinc, in a four-month-long mission. A Chinese submersible vessel has been conducting its first deep dive in the Indian Ocean in search of rare metals. It will collect samples of hydrothermal fluid and sulfide, which is a kind of seabed deposit that contains copper, zinc and many precious metals such as gold and silver, official Xinhua news agency said. The project, which involves exploring the Indian Ocean for 120 days, reflects China's hunger for resources, sources say. The vessel will also obtain samples of rocks, sediment and water from selected spots in the India Ocean.

According to Xinhua, Chinese scientists launched a program to build a new manned submersible expected to dive as deep as 4,500mand capable of carrying out scientific research. The program was revealed by Hu Zhen with China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation, who is in charge of the technology development of the submersible program under the Ministry of Science and Technology, in an interview on board the Xiangyanghong 09, carrier boat of the Jiaolong submersible. According to the news agency, Jiaolong has dived successfully to a depth of 7,062m. According to the report the Jiaolong will soon be handed over to the China Ocean Mineral Resources Research and Development Association, and at that time study will focus on key technologies involved in the 4,500-m submersible.

China's manned submersible 'Jiaolong', aboard its support ship 'Xiangyanghong-9', leaves Jiangyin on a marine science expedition. During the 103-day mission, the submersible will submerge for scientific research in the South China Sea, the northeast Pacific Ocean and the west Pacific. Jiaolong set a new dive record after reaching 7,062 meters deep in the Pacific Ocean's Mariana Trench in June 2012, demonstrating China's ability to conduct deep-sea scientific research and resource exploration in 99.8 percent of the world's oceans.

Kongsberg Maritime’s OE14-502 HD cameras were used by China's manned deep sea submersible 'Jiaolong' in recent W. Pacific Ocean dive. The Jiaolong was equipped with two ultra deep water versions of Kongsberg Maritime OE14-502D High Definition Cameras along with an ultra deep OE14-208 Digital Stills Camera and two OE14-364 Compact Fixed Colour Cameras. The Jiaolong made a total of six dives altogether, reaching a depth of 7062 meters on its final dive. This surpassed a national record depth of 7020 meters reached just a few days previously.

China Shipbuilding Industry Corp. (CSIC) is developing a manned submersible for dives to 4,500 meters (14,764 ft). The move comes as part of a greater plan for the nation to eventually build a deep sea station where submersibles can dock and oceanauts can work. CSIC, builders of the Jiaolong manned submersible, which made record dives to more than 7,000 meters in the Pacific Ocean's Mariana Trench, said that the submersible has returned to its test base since completing deep sea diving missions, and it will be handed over for use after maintenance. The vessel will be used to conduct scientific research next year, the Beijing-based state-owned company said.

'Jiaolong's fourth successful dive below 7,000 meters, proved that the submersible was stable in function and the performance of the team improved gradually, said the program's on-scene commander Liu Feng. "Breaking the 7,000-meter mark means China has obtained the capability of exploring 99.8 percent of the deep ocean with manned submersibles," Liu said. Among about 90 operational manned submersibles thoughout the world, only 12 can descend to 1,000 meters undersea and even fewer can dive deeper. Before China's attempts, only manned submersibles of the United States, Japan, France and Russia have dived below 6,000 meters. China started the development of Jiaolong in 2002 and its first 1,000-meter dive test was conducted in 2009.

The Xiangyanghong 09 ship carrying China's manned deep-sea submersible Jiaolong arrived at the designated dive area of the Mariana Trench on Monday morning, where it will attempt the world's first 7,000-meter dive. The first dive will challenge the depth of over 5,000 meters, but less than 6,200 meters. The fifth and sixth dives are scheduled to challenge the depth of 7,000 meters. The six dives will test various functions and performances of the manned submersible at great depths and each dive may last for eight to 12 hours. The Jiaolong succeeded in diving 5,188 meters in the Pacific Ocean last July, enabling China to conduct scientific surveys in 70 percent of the world's seabed areas.

The ship, the Xiangyanghong 09, left the eastern port city of Jiangyin earlier on Sunday and travelled about 155 nautical miles to an anchorage at the mouth of the Yangtze River near Shanghai, according to the onboard headquarter of the operation. The submersible, named after a mythical sea dragon, will dive 7,000 meters below the surface of the Pacific Ocean between mid-June and early July at the Mariana Trench. Tropical storm Mawar battered northern Philippines Saturday and was moving north. Meteorological experts said that Xiangyanghong would encounter Mawar on Tuesday if it had kept to the original plan. The ship would continue its voyage at a proper time and typhoon Mawar would not affect the planned dive of Jiaolong, said the headquarters.

China's manned submersible Jiaolong, which reached 5,188 meters below the sea during its deepest dive in the Pacific Ocean this year, is on its way to attempt a 7,000-meter dive in the Marianas Trench, according to the State Oceanic Administration (SOA). China's intention is to develop deep-sea technologies and equipment, including comprehensive research ships, mothership of manned undersea grafts, and deep-sea autonomous underwater vehicles, according to Liu Cigui, head of the State Oceanic Administration (SOA).

Yan Kai, the chief engineer of China's manned deep-sea submersible research vessel Jiaolong, confirmed that the craft will reach a depth of 7,000 meters below sea level this summer, thereby meeting its design goals. The submersible has successfully completed all of its previous trial runs, carrying three crewmembers to a depth of more than 4,000 meters below sea level and subsequently to a depth of 5,038 meters. The successful trials marked significant progress in the design of manned deep-sea submersible craft in China. Mr.