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The Shanghai Ocean University has established a research center at the Zhangjiang High-Tech Park to assemble the “Rainbow Fish” submersible that can go down deeper than the nation’s first deep-sea submersible “Jiaolong,” which touched 7,000 meters.

China’s new deep-sea research program aims to build a manned submersible that could reach depths of 11,000 meters by 2016.

The center has also teamed up with the University of Aberdeen in the United Kingdom, the University of Hawaii and the Shanghai Advanced Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Cui Weicheng, a professor at the university who also served as deputy chief designer on the “Jiaolong” project, said the “Rainbow Fish” will help to maintain the country’s position as a leader in the global deep-sea submersible industry.

“It will focus on research on ecological environment and climate, ocean environment protection and even earthquake forecast,” Cui said.

The submersible plans to probe under the 26 oceanic trenches beneath 6,500 meters around the world.

The “Rainbow Fish” will include three seabed landers, an unmanned and manned submersibles.

The project also includes a mother ship named “Zhang Jian,” named after an entrepreneur and educationist in modern China. Ship-building work has already started in Zhejiang Province.