Chinese scientific research company Rainbowfish Deepsea Equipment & Technology Co., Ltd. will construct a new deep-sea research vessel. One of the goals of the project is to explore further down into the Marianas Trench – towards a point that has been measured to be the new deepest spot in the world.
Recently, a Finnish foundry, Tevo Lokomo Ltd, joined the project. The manned submersible cabin casting will be manufactured at the steel foundry in Tampere, Finland. The cabin will be made from Vaculok Maraging Steel, and it will withstand the extreme pressures at the depths of over 36,000 feet (11,000 metres). Previous MIR submersibles were manufactured in 1987 and their maximum depth was 19,685 feet (6000 metres).
Pressure Tests
Close cooperation between Tevo Lokomo and the Chinese specialists began in 2015 with a project for material research and testing. The project was completed in April 2017 after successful pressure tests conducted at the Rainbowfish laboratory in Shanghai, China.
2020
The multi-phase project will culminate in year 2020 when a group of scientists will descend into the depths of the Marianas Trench, and conduct scientific research work in circumstances not touched by humans yet. The venture will also break the depth record set by the film director and explorer James Cameron.
Picture: MIR submersible built in Finland in 1987 and still in operation (archive photo).
