China's advanced expedition ship, "Xiangyanghong 01," has started its maiden scientific research trip to the Indian Ocean.
The ship left Qingdao Port, Shandong Province, on Wednesday with about 80 researchers and more than 40 sets of equipment.
Liu Lin, chief scientist of the expedition, said they would study monsoons in the Indian Ocean and the impact of air-sea exchange on East Asian climate change.
The expedition will last two months.
"Xiangyanghong 01" was commissioned in June. It is a new-generation ocean-going expedition ship, with a displacement of 4,980 tonnes and a range of 15,000 nautical miles.
China has a series of Xiangyanghong ocean-going expedition ships.
