Deep-sea vehicle sets its sights on ocean trenches

A domestically developed unmanned submersible designed to explore as deep as 11,000 meters under the sea is expected to start deep-sea trials by 2020, researchers said on Tuesday.

Shanghai Jiao Tong University, which has been working on the development of the new autonomous underwater vehicle, said that the trial will be carried out in the Pacific Ocean's Mariana Trench, in a ravine called Challenger Deep.

"The deep-sea submersible is an essential tool for humans to explore the deepest ocean area and develop marine resources. But to dive 11,000 meters below sea level, the vehicle should not only have the ability to deal with more complex terrain, more powerful currents and waves, but also behave with great stability and security," said Zhang Weigang, Party chief of the university's School of Naval Architecture, Ocean and Civil Engineering.