China has completed its first collaborative deep-sea exploration using large-scale equipment in the South China Sea.
The unmanned submersible Faxian dragged a deep-sea lander 1,200 meters below the waves to a cold seep on the ocean floor to study the environment there.
Faxian then departed, leaving the lander to begin its three-month observation of the deep, and went on to bring shrimps and mussels back to the Chinese research vessel Kexue.
“Most operations in the past were conducted by one device. It is the first time for us to coordinate so many large devices in one operation. This move is not only related to the efficiency of the scientific expedition, but also good for solving major scientific problems. Few countries in the world can manage such a collaborative operation with large equipment,” said Sun Song, chief scientist of the expedition team.
