By Staff Reporters

The first China-Indonesia joint scientific expedition in the Java Trench, the deepest point in the Indian Ocean, winded up successfully on March 28 with the research vessel, Tansuo-1 (Discovery One), returning to Sanya city in Hainan province, south China.

It was the first expedition in the world to carry out large-scale and systematic manned deep diving research in this area.

The expedition team, consisting of experts from 11 universities and institutions from both countries, set sail from Sanya on February 8 for a 50-day deep-sea diving mission in the Java Trench.

The Fendouzhe (Striver), the deep-sea manned submersible carried by Tansuo-1, completed 22 diving missions, 14 of which were at a depth of more than 6,000 meters. Six were joint diving missions, creating the deepest dive record for Indonesia.

The expedition obtained valuable samples of macrobenthos, including several new abyssal species, and rocks and sediments from the Java Trench, as well as high-definition videos and photographs. It also found two active low-temperature hydrothermal regions in the forearc basin, which provided important support for further understanding geological tectonic activities, biodiversity and co-evolution of geological life in the Java Trench.

At the welcome ceremony for the joint expedition held on March 22, the Chinese ambassador to Indonesia Lu Kang said, "China and Indonesia have been deepening research collaboration in marine sciences in recent years. I hope scientists from our two countries can achieve more high-quality research results in the future and contribute to the blue economy and sustainable development."

Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Indonesia's coordinating minister for maritime affairs and investment, said the joint expedition has opened a new chapter for the two countries to strengthen maritime cooperation. He hoped the two countries would expand scientific cooperation and cultivate more scientists and engineers for Indonesia.