China's unmanned submersible 'Hailong 11000' dives to 2,605 meters

China's unmanned submersible "Hailong 11000" dived 2,605 meters below the sea in the western Pacific Ocean on Sunday, succeeding in passing the deep water test of 2,000 meters.

The submersible was unloaded into water by its mother ship Dayang Yihao (Ocean No. 1) , a Chinese scientific research vessel, at 10:30 a.m. BJT (0230 GMT) and reached the depth of 2,000 meters some 105 minutes later.

Operators conducted a system check and function test before allowing the vessel to dive deeper. It went down another 605 meters before successfully returning to the surface.

The unmanned, remote-controlled submersible is designed to work at a maximum depth of 11,000-meters below the sea level. It will complete an 11,000-meter deep sea test in three years, according to the China Ocean Mineral Resources R&D Association.

Supervisor of the operation team Cui Yunlu said that the vessel showed a stable performance during Sunday's sea test, adding that the Chinese research team will choose an appropriate time to challenge the depth of 6,000 meters.

The submersible completed its first sea test in the western Pacific Ocean on Friday. "Hailong" in its name literally means "Sea Dragon" in Chinese.

Dayang Yihao, the mother vessel, left eastern China port city of Qingdao on March 20, with scientists on board for a 45-day expedition.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)