China's most sophisticated research vessel, the Kexue (or Science), left from the eastern city of Xiamen last Saturday. Its current mission is a new expedition to a west Pacific seamount.

The second expedition features a journey to the Yap Seamount area. The focus of the mission is on the deep-sea environment and ecology, said Dong Dongdong, chief scientist of the expedition.

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The vessel will have 74 people on board and is expected to travel 6,000 nautical miles with a return expected in mid-February.

According to Sun Song, head of the Institute of Oceanology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the expedition aims to improve understanding of the little-known seamounts.

These seamounts are mountains rising from the bottom of the ocean without reaching the water surface.

The improvement of knowledge regarding these mountains in the ocean will also improve knowledge on China's climate and natural disasters by shedding light on the interaction between the ocean and China's off-shore waters.

Earlier this month, Keuxe wrapped up its first Yap Seamount expedition. It marked China's first endeavor on such a landscape.

They were able to conduct missions such as deep-sea photographing and biological sampling as the Yap Seamount is rich in mineral resources and ecological diversity.

The newly-designed scientific research vessel was launched on November 30, 2011 in Wuhan, in central China's Hubei Province.

Boasting a size of 99.6 meters in length and 17.8 meters in width, it is also equipped with a podded electric propulsion system.

Other features of the ship are world-class facilities for water body detection, atmospheric exploration, deep-sea environment exploration, and remote sensing information research. The cruising capacity of the ship reaches 15,00 nautical miles at speed up to 15 knots.

The construction of the vessel began in 2010, three years after it was approved by the National Development and Reform Commission on a total cost of $86.4 million.

TagsKexue, Research Vessel, West Pacific Seamount