Chinese scientists aim to complete the world’s deepest dive in a manned submersible in 2012 by going to 7,000 metres (22,966 ft) beneath the sea after a successful test dive in the Pacific Ocean.
The Jiaolong, named after a mythical Chinese sea dragon, reached 5,057 metres, its lowest-ever depth, in a dive in international waters in the Pacific in the early hours of Tuesday, Chinese state news agency Xinhua said.
“Such a depth means the Jiaolong is capable of reaching over 70% of the seabeds in the world,” it quoted the head of the diving operation, Wang Fei, as saying. “It will pave the way for a record-breaking 7,000-metre test dive in 2012.”
The current record holder is Japan’s Shinkai 6500, which dived to 6,527 metres in August 1989.
Wang said the Jiaolong had performed admirably. “At a depth of 5,000 metres, the Jiaolong withstood great pressure amounting to 5,000 tonnes per square metre.” Further tests are expected, during which it will carry out “scientific research and further try out different functions of the craft,” Xinhua added.
The Jiaolong was used last year to plant the national flag deep beneath the South China Sea, where Beijing has tussled with the US and south-east Asian nations over territorial disputes.
While the Jiaolong falls under the remit of the ostensibly civilian State Oceanic Administration, China is developing a formidable submarine capability and the military will be paying close attention to the submersible’s development.
President Hu Jintao has made the upgrading of the navy a key element of the country’s military modernisation, including the development of China’s first aircraft carrier.
