Sub to allow experiments at deepest ocean depths

Chinese engineers are striving to finish the construction of the world's first manned submersible capable of conducting complex scientific research in the deepest part of the oceans－the bottom of the Marianas Trench－before the end of this year, according to a project insider.

Engineers at the China Ship Scientific Research Center in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, a subsidiary of the State-owned shipbuilding conglomerate China State Shipbuilding Corp, have assembled the deep-diving submersible's structure and are currently installing equipment inside it, Liu Jiarui, a project manager at the center's science and technology section, said on Wednesday.

Their goal is to complete the electrically powered submersible, which has yet to be named, before year's end and then start conducting tests in a lake in Wuxi before the craft begins sea trials, he said at the Marintec China 2019, a marine technology exhibition that opened in Shanghai on Tuesday.