The world's first ever Deep Submergence Vehicle (DSV), capable
of going to depths of 7,000 meters, will be tested by China in the
second half of 2007.
"The development of the manned deep sea diving machine which can
cover 99.8 percent of the world's sea bed will help increase the
range of China's deep sea research,"said Jia Yu, a researcher with
the State Oceanic Administration.
The United States, Japan, France and Russia are the only
countries that currently have DSVs but their maximum working depth
is 6,500 meters.
The selection of personnel to man the DSV is underway in the
eastern coastal city of Qingdao. Fifteen candidates have passed the
first assessment and six of will be chosen to receive special
training.
The development of the DSV began n 2001 as a key national
science project. The research was mainly undertaken by the No. 702
Research Institute of the China Shipping Industry Corporation.
(Xinhua News Agency February 1, 2007)