The Fendouzhe submersible completed 43 dives, achieving the world's first manned dive on the Gakkel Ridge.

A Chinese scientific expedition team has successfully completed a manned deep-sea diving mission in the Arctic and returned home safely on Oct. 27.

Jointly organized by the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the mission was led by the Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering of CAS. The operation was carried out on Tan Suo San Hao (Exploration III)—China's first comprehensive scientific research ship designed for global deep-sea exploration—and the Fendouzhe (Striver) deep-see manned submersible.

Over a 98-day voyage, Fendouzhe completed 43 dives in Arctic waters and performed the first-ever underwater joint operation with China's Jiaolong submersible, pioneering a new "ship-submersible coordination" dive mode for manned underwater operation.

In the central Arctic basin, where sea ice coverage exceeded 80 percent, the expedition team conducted the world's first manned scientific exploration on the Gakkel Ridge. Over a period of 29 days, Fendouzhe completed 32 dives, reaching a maximum depth of 5,277 meters.

During the mission, Jiaolong achieved China's first manned dive beneath the Arctic ice and collaborated with Fendouzhe on joint positioning, marker exchange, and underwater filming, marking a significant milestone in China's polar deep-sea exploration capability.

The mission verified the operational performance and applicability of Fendouzhe and Exploration III in polar environments. It pioneered a mobile "ship-submersible coordination" mode in dense sea ice, enabling precise navigation and safe surfacing amid drifting ice floes, and making China the first country to conduct continuous manned deep-sea dives in the heavily ice-covered Arctic Ocean.

The expedition team also collected valuable observational data, which will provide critical scientific support for studying rapid Arctic climate change, geological processes along the Gakkel Ridge, and the evolution and adaptation of life in extreme polar environments.