Two Chinese manned submersibles complete 175 dives in 2022

Aerial photo taken on April 16, 2021 shows the deep-sea manned submersible Shenhai Yongshi (Deep Sea Warrior) and its mother ship Tansuo-2. (Xinhua/Zhang Liyun)

SHANGHAI, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Shenhai Yongshi (Deep Sea Warrior) and Fendouzhe (Striver) -- two manned submersibles developed by China -- completed a total of 175 dives in 2022.

They have exhibited world-leading operational and maintenance capabilities, according to the annual conference of a scientific instruction committee for the use of the two manned submersibles, which was held Tuesday.

Shenhai Yongshi, which can reach a depth of 4,500 meters, completed 100 dives for a fourth consecutive year, at an average depth of 1,292.52 meters.

The submersible spent 180 days operating at sea, where it was tasked with scientific exploration, engineering application, search and salvage, and emergency response.

Undated file photo shows China's deep-sea manned submersible Fendouzhe (Striver). (China State Shipbuilding Corporation /Handout via Xinhua)

Fendouzhe, which is capable of reaching a depth of 10,000 meters, spent 202 days at sea last year, completing 75 dives.

The submersible finished four 10,000-meter-level dives in 2022, bringing its total number of such dives to 25, with 32 people carried cumulatively.

The two manned submersibles also successfully carried out joint underwater operations, according to the committee.

The committee was formed in 2021 and serves as a communication and exchange platform for users and experts of the submersibles to promote the applications, guide technical upgrading and improve operational capabilities.