China's deep-sea research vessel Tan Suo Yi Hao (Discovery One) set sail this week from Valparaiso, Chile, on a joint scientific exploration of the 8-kilometer-deep Atacama Trench in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

The vessel is carrying the Chinese manned deep-sea submersible Fendouzhe (Striver), which is capable of diving to depths of more than 10,000 meters. The expedition aims to study biodiversity and chemosynthetic ecosystems in the rarely explored Atacama Trench, the longest undersea trench in the world.