Chinese research vessel takes foreign trainees on expedition

Chinese ocean scientific research vessel Haiyang-6 set out on June 19 on a 240-day expedition in the Pacific Ocean, with five foreign trainees on board. 

The five young scientists from Burkina Faso, the Cook Islands, Ghana, Mexico and Papua New Guinea will work together with Chinese scientists and be trained on the job, said He Gaowen, chief scientist of the expedition. 

The vessel departed from China's southern province of Guangdong, heading for the Western Pacific to conduct deep-sea geological surveys for climate change, biological and environmental research. 

The surveys will help China in international efforts to utilize seabed resources and test the latest deep-sea technology. 

The vessel has on board a remote-control underwater vehicle "Haima" (sea horse) to sample cobalt-rich seabed crusts and other materials.