The Xiangyanghong 09, the mother ship for China's manned deep-sea submersible, the Jiaolong, prepares for voyage at Qingdao Zhongyuan Port on May 30. [Photo/Xinhua]

The Xiangyanghong 09, the mother ship of the Jiaolong, is planning to depart from Qingdao Port to meet the Jiaolong in Jiangyin, Jiangsu province, on June 5. As China’s first manned submersible, the Jiaolong has successfully completed its deep-sea dive program, with a sixth and final dive to 7,062 meters in the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean in 2012. It has the greatest depth range of any manned research vehicle in the world. It will run the first trial voyage this year towards the South China Sea and north Pacific Ocean for marine biodiversity research. The voyage will take 103 days, meaning the Jiaolong will enter its trial application period in the following three to four years.

Edited by Michael Thai, Li Xiaoliang and Gao Yuan