China's 3 deep-sea manned submersibles have made over 1,700 dives to date

People look at deep-sea manned submersible Fendouzhe (Striver) aboard Tansuo-1 research vessel during a Concluding Open Day of a joint China-New Zealand dive expedition in Wellington, New Zealand, March 21, 2025. (Xinhua/Long Lei)

HAIKOU, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- China's three deep-sea manned submersibles have completed 1,746 dives to date, the Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering under the Chinese Academy of Sciences said on Wednesday.

The trio -- Fendouzhe (Striver), Shenhai Yongshi (Deep Sea Warrior) and Jiaolong -- is set to complete 314 dives this year alone, according to data released by the institute at a meeting in Sanya, south China's Hainan Province.

Notably, Fendouzhe undertook China's first manned deep-sea scientific expedition in the heavily ice-covered areas of the Arctic Ocean this year. The submersible also supported an international joint expedition to the Puysegur Trench, which is located off the southwestern coast of New Zealand's South Island, earlier this year.

Shenhai Yongshi has conducted 18 dives for deep-sea archaeological exploration on the northwest continental slope of the South China Sea this year, and worked in coordination with unmanned submersibles, contributing to new deep-sea archaeological discoveries.