China's deep-sea manned submersible Jiaolong left East China's coast Tuesday to conduct its maiden expedition as a science vessel in the southwest Indian Ocean.

The vessel, travelling inside oceanographic research ship Xiangyanghong-9, will be on a four-month mission to take 20 dives to research polymetallic sulfides, biological diversity, hydrothermal microbes and genetic resources, reports China state news agency Xinhua.

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The mission's chief commander is the director of China's National Deep Sea Center, Yu Hongjun, who will be directing Jiaolong on its furthest and longest voyage in terms of distance and time.

Named after a mythical aquatic dragon, Jiaolong has reached its deepest depth of 7,062 meters in the Pacific's Mariana Trench in June 2012. Xinhua reports that there are a record number of 13 scientists working on this mission.

The voyage is considered a kind of trial for Jiaolong as it is not yet ready for regular operation. Its first trial exploration voyage from June to September last year marked the start of a five-year trial period for the submersible before it starts regular operation.

During last year's mission, Jiaolong explored the South China sea, and the northwest Pacific Ocean while completing 21 dives. Jiaolong conducted a 52-day scientific expedition in the northwest Pacific Ocean earlier this year to survey cobalt-rich areas and life forms inhabiting the bottom of the sea.

On June 27, 2012, the Jiaolong carrying two aquanauts, reached a depth of 7,062 meters in the Mariana Trench in the western Pacific Ocean.

According to China Radio International, the vessel has the greatest depth range of any manned research vehicle in the world, and the only manned expeditions to have gone deeper were the dives of the Switzerland's Trieste bathyscaphe in 1960, and the dive of the Australia's Deepsea Challenger in 2012.

China's National Deep Sea Center is the world's fifth deep sea research base after Russia, the U.S., France and Japan, focusing on deep sea research, expenditure and training of experts and aquanauts.

TagsChina’s Submersible ‘Dragon’ Embarks on Longest Voyage Yet, Jiaolong, deep-sea manned submersible, Xiangyanghong-9, National Deep Sea Center, Yu Hongjun