Manned sub starts trial mission

China's manned submersible Jiaolong, boarding its support ship Xiangyanghong-9, left a port in Jiangyin, East China's Jiangsu province, on Monday, for its first voyage of experimental application.

During the 103-day mission, the sub will submerge for scientific research in the South China Sea, the northeast Pacific Ocean and the west Pacific.

The research will focus on poly-metallic sulfides, cobalt-rich crusts, deep-sea genetic resources and a survey of the deep-sea environment.