From December 4 to 13, 2023, Dr. Gong Shanggui and Dr. Wang Xudong from Professor Feng Dong's team at SHOU organized the TS2-30-3 voyage to the “Seahorse Seeps” with the aid of the Exploration II scientific research vessel and the Deep-sea Warrior manned submersible of the Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, CAS. They successfully completed six manned deep diving missions.
The manned deep-sea diving based on a deep integration of science and technology has emerged as a new direction of marine sciences in the new era. The Research Center for Extreme Ocean Processes and Resources of SHOU has an excellent deep diving team. Professor Chen Duofu, Director of the Center, conducted on-site investigations on deep-sea cold seeps and hydrates in the Gulf of Mexico on a manned submersible as early as in 2002. Professor Feng Dong was a member of the first diving crew of the first experimental voyage of “Jiaolong” in 2013. In this scientific expedition, Dr. Gong Shanggui, executive chief of the voyage, and Dr. Wang Xudong, a core member, joined the deep diving team and became new-generation deep diving scientists.