China could be on the verge of becoming the second ever nation to reach the Arctic seabed with preparations now underway to launch its first manned mission to explore the polar seafloor.

If successful, China will join the ranks as one of only two nations to have successfully reached the Arctic seabed, alongside Russia which achieved the feat in 2007 when it – controversially – placed its nation’s flag at the North Pole.

The crewed submersible will be launched through a hole in the hull of the polar research vessel, Tan Suo San Hao, a light icebreaking ship developed by the China State Shipbuilding Corporation. The announcement of the mission is reflective, suggest commentators, of China’s growing ambitions in the Arctic Ocean.

Details of the mission have arisen following China’s first patrol near Alaska’s polar waters. It was a joint patrol conducted earlier this month between the Chinese Coast Guard and Russian Border Service ships, as observed by the US Coast Guard, sailing northeastward outside the St. Lawrence island in the Bering Sea. 

It’s anticipated that China’s attempt to reach the Arctic seabed will be operational by 2025.

Polar research vessels are limited in what they can do due to the abundance of arctic ice floes across the region, making underwater vessels the most effective tools for carrying out research and exploration operations. However, such missions come with considerable technological challenges. 

According to reports from the South China Morning Post, the submersible has undergone tests for underwater docking and low-temperature operations. Although specific details of the vessel’s capabilities haven’t been disclosed, China’s reliance on foreign technology is now giving way to domestically-developed systems for future polar research and deep-sea resource exploration.

The Tan Suo San Hao itself is equipped with advanced deep-sea research support, including a 10,000 metre winch system. The vessel was built in the southern city of Guangzhou and is expected to start sea trials next year.

Should China reach the Arctic seabed, it will become the second only nation to have done so.

Marine Insight reports that China’s interest in Arctic shipping and oil exploration has reached ‘record levels’, prompting a growing concern among the US and some Western countries over the nation’s growing presence in the region. 

Through such developments, China is rapidly enhancing its claim as a ‘near Arctic’ power, something that has, to date, been strongly rejected by the US and other Arctic nations.

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