Chinese research vessel Dayang Yihao (Ocean No. 1) left Qingdao, Shandong Province, on Tuesday, taking scientists on a 45-day scientific ocean expedition.
The ship is carrying advanced scientific equipment and unmanned submersibles "Hailong" and "Qianlong."
According to the China Ocean Mineral Resources R&D Association, the vessel will take 119 researchers from 18 institutions to test the underwater equipment, complete geological study of the Western Mariana Basin and carry out experiments in mineral resource exploration.
Dayang Yihao is a 5,600-tonne vessel with equipment for geophysics, marine chemistry, biological and acoustic research.
During the mission, the ship is expected to travel through the East China Sea, West Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea.