Posted on behalf of Jane Qiu.
China’s submersible, Jiaolong, set sail last Friday onboard its mother ship Xiangyanghong 9 on its way for what is hailed in the Chinese media as an “historic mission” to dive down to 5,000 metres in the Central Pacific Ocean between southeastern Hawaii and North America.
According to Jin Jiancai, secretary general of China Ocean Mineral Resources R&D Association (COMRA), the mission would take about 47 days and the vessel is expected to make four dives. If successful, China would be able to access over 70% of the ocean floor.
In addition to the test dives, Jiaolong will take photo and video footage of the seafloor, survey submarine topology, marine environment, and carry out targeted sampling trials.
Jiaolong, named after a mythical sea dragon, is about eight metres long and weighs nearly 22 tonnes, with a crew of three. It is designed to dive to 7,000 metres – an attempt to outperform all the currently operational submersibles, including Japan’s Shinkai, which can go as deep as 6,500 metres.
The construction of the vessel, spearheaded by China’s State Oceanic Administration and science ministry, began in 2002. Last year, Jiaolong dived 17 times in the South China Sea, with the longest dive lasting for about nine hours and reaching a depth of 3,759 metres.
The vessel also sent back photo and video footages of the deep sea and successfully landed on a patch of the seafloor, where its robotic arm planted a Chinese national flag.
In addition to technological accomplishment, Jiaolong also signals China’s ambitious plan to explore and exploit the remote but resource-rich parts of the ocean floor.
In 2001, COMRA gained permission from the International Seabed Authority (ISA) for commercial exploration of minerals and other resources in a part of the Central Pacific Ocean that covers an area 75,000 square kilometres – the region for which Jiaolong is heading.
Last year, China was among the first countries to apply to explore the Southwest Indian Ridge as soon as the ISA adopted regulations in May for prospecting for polymetallic sulphides.
Image: Xinhua/Photoshot