A specialist Chinese vessel carrying unmanned submersibles Qianlong No. 1 and No. 2 set off on a 170-day scientific expedition in the southwest Indian Ocean on Wednesday.
Xiangyanghong 10, on its maiden voyage on deep-sea areas, set sail on Wednesday from the port city of Sanya in south China's Hainan Province with an expedition team of 232 members.
During the voyage of more than 24,000 km, the submersibles will explore metal sulfides and conduct environmental and biodiversity surveys in the Indian Ocean in accordance with a contract signed by China and the International Seabed Authority.
China is being more efficient and saving resources through this new approach of carrying the two submersibles on one ship, said Li Jiabiao, a research fellow with the State Oceanic Administration.
