The Chinese research vessel Exploration 2 returned home on April 26 with the deep-sea manned submersible Shenhai Yongshi (Deep Sea Warrior), completing the first leg of the 2022 marine survey in the northern South China Sea. Many sediment samples, bottom water, rock specimens and biological samples were collected at depths ranging from 1,573 to 3,689 meters.

First-hand images of the submarine geomorphologic landscape were also obtained. These discoveries are of great scientific and archaeological value for studying marine evolutionary trends. China is a major maritime country whose mainland and island coastlines measure approximately 18,000 and 14,000 kilometers, respectively.