At the end of November, China’s 73rd Ocean Exploration Voyage, organized by the China Oceanic Affairs Administration and implemented by the SIO, completed the scientific investigation mission, and Fang Yinxia, Director of the SIO, went to Xiamen to welcome the expedition team members of the SIO.

During this voyage, 105-day resource exploration and environmental survey were carried out in the international seabed area of Clarion-Clipperton Zone in the East Pacific Ocean, covering a total of more than 23000 kilometers. The expedition team successfully completed the annual tasks of the polymetallic nodule contract area of China Ocean Mineral Resources R & D Association and the polymetallic nodule contract area of China Minmetals Corporation as planned. Researcher Li Xiaohu of the SIO served as the chief scientist of the voyage. A total of 15 members from Key Laboratory of Submarine Geosciences, Key Laboratory of Marine Ecosystem and Biogeochemistry, and Ship Transport Management Center participated in the voyage.

In this voyage, 16 investigation projects were carried out mainly by using the equipment independently developed by China, including the 6000 m scale “Qianlong IV” Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV), nodule enrichment device, geotechnical in-situ tester, box sampler, gravity column, etc., and a large number of geological environment samples and rich original data were obtained. The voyage further expanded the scope of controlled and proved resources in the two polymetallic nodule contract areas of China Ocean Mineral Resources R & D Association and China Minmetals Corporation, which laid a solid foundation for the subsequent exploitation of deep-sea resources; It also provided important basic data such as benthos, saprovores, particulate flux, temperature and salinity parameters, and current parameters for the environmental baseline study of the environmental impact reference area and environmental preservation reference area in the contract area. The functional sea test of exploration equipment such as polymetallic nodule abundance in-situ assessment system and enrichment device was completed for the first time in this voyage, which provides important support for the research and development of technology and equipment for deep-sea resources exploration and development in China.

Under the unified deployment of the Ministry of Natural Resources, China has become the only country in the world with three kinds of mineral resources (polymetallic nodule, polymetallic sulfide and cobalt-rich crust) and five mining areas in the field of deep-sea resources. In recent years, the Ministry of Natural Resources has continued to promote deep-ocean work, and China has made great progress in marine equipment technology, marine scientific and technological talents, deep-sea resource exploration and other fields, which will provide important support and guarantee for fulfilling the exploration contract obligations signed with the International Seabed Authority, utilizing seabed resources in a green, peaceful way, and practicing the concept of a community of shared future for mankind.