Into the deep

The country's first underwater archaeological vessel is set to comb the nation's coastline in search of long-lost cultural relics. Wang Kaihao reports in Qingdao, Shandong province.

China's first underwater archaeological vessel, China Archeology No 1, made its maiden voyage on Sept 4 in Qingdao, Shandong province. The vessel will explore the country's 18,000-kilometer-long coastline in search of sunken cultural relics and shipwrecks.

The 57.9-meter-long and 10.8-meter-wide boat with a displacement of 980 tons is powered by electricity. It was manufactured in Chongqing by China Shipbuilding Industry Corp at a cost of 60 million yuan ($9.77 million). It is able to cruise over 1,000 nautical miles at any one time and work nonstop for a month.