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Wendy Wu

China is planning to send a crewed submersible to explore the polar seabed as part of its growing ambitions in the Arctic Ocean.
The vessel has been designed to drop through a hole in the hull of the polar research vessel Tan Suo San Hao (Explorer Three), according to the developer, the China State Shipbuilding Corporation’s 704th Research Institute.
The developer said it had carried out a series of tests, including underwater docking and low-temperature operations, but has not disclosed many details of the vessel.
It said the country had previously been forced to rely on foreign technology but had now developed its own systems that “can be widely used in the future for polar scientific research, deep-sea oil and gas mineral resource exploration and production, seabed pipeline construction and maintenance [and] search and rescue operations”.
Polar research vessels are limited in what they can do by the presence of ice floes, so sending vessels underwater is a way round the problem, but the extreme conditions pose a considerable technological challenge.
So far only Russia has sent a crewed vessel onto the Arctic seabed – the 2007 Arktika mission – meaning China may become the second country to do so.
The institute also designed a set of equipment for the mother ship to support deep-sea research, including a 10,000-metre (32,800ft) winch system and a deployment and recovery system for the submersible.
Tan Suo San Hao was built in the southern city of Guangzhou with a core mission to use domestically made equipment for scientific exploration.
Work started in June last year and the vessel left the dock in April. It is expected to enter service and start sea trials next year.


China has described itself as a “near Arctic” power and is increasing its polar exploration fleets. It has built a number of icebreakers, the most recent of which – the Jidi – made its maiden voyage to the Arctic in August.
The country is also developing another icebreaker designed to handle ice that is more than 2 metres thick, Wu Gang, who designed the country’s first domestically produced icebreaker Xue Long 2, told state media last month.
The icebreaker will enable China to operate year-round in polar environments.
The United States has expressed concern about China’s growing Arctic presence and has been working to boost its own shipbuilding abilities.
The country’s coastguard is building a number of heavy icebreakers, and earlier this year the US, Canada and Finland announced a joint project to develop polar vessels, including icebreakers.


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China

The country announced a new exploration vessel as part of its growing presence in polar regions


The country announced a new exploration vessel as part of its growing presence in polar regions.


Antarctica

China manufacturing

China plans to send crewed submersible to bottom of Arctic seabed

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The country announced a new exploration vessel as part of its growing presence in polar regions

The country announced a new exploration vessel as part of its growing presence in polar regions