China's research ship Tansuo-1 returns from deep-ocean expedition

China's scientific research ship Tansuo-1 returned to a port in the city of Sanya, in south China's Hainan Province, on Sunday, after completing its deep-ocean expedition to the Mariana Trench.

The vessel, which carries the deep-sea manned submersible Fendouzhe (Striver), berthed on Sunday morning, according to the Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

During the 53-day expedition, which started on Oct. 14, the China-built Fendouzhe successfully completed 23 dives, six of which exceeded a depth of 10,000 meters.

Scientific researchers collected several large organisms, in-situ micro-organisms, sediments and rock samples, accumulating valuable data for use in genetic research on the area and understanding its geological structure, according to the institute.

During the voyage, Chinese research teams participating in the expedition jointly launched the Mariana Consensus. The consensus calls for the establishment of a standardized system for deep-sea expeditions to realize the long-term preservation and sharing of deep-ocean scientific samples and data, so as to achieve international cooperation on deep-sea expeditions.

The team also launched the Mariana Trench Environment and Ecology Research Project (MEER) during the expedition. The project aims to invite more researchers from home and abroad to join in the MEER, so as to tackle major scientific issues together, such as the origins of life and environmental adaptation, biodiversity and climate change, among others.