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NORWAY-ASIA BUSINESS REVIEW
ISSUE 1 2020
PHOTO: XINHUA NEWS AGENCY
Rainbowfish Ocean Technology wants to help man reach one of the few remaining places on earth it has yet to explore, the Hadal Zone.
Exploring the Deepest Depths
hese funnel shaped areas at the bottom of the ocean are located at T least 6,500 metres below the surface. Species yet to be discovered and even information about the origins of Earth are just a few of the CHEYENNE HOLLIS
things that could be hiding here.
For scientists, the Hadal Zone is the final frontier for oceanology. Places such as the Mariana Trench, located more than 10,000 metres deep, contain a treasure trove of information. Mr Chi Chen, Senior Project Manager at Rainbowfish Ocean Technology, believes every deepsea research voyage provides scientist a chance to discover new living species and helps us better understand the history of the ocean. “Hadal Zones are funnel shaped which means they are accumulators. Additionally, the current in Hadal Zones are slow and steady which allows sediment to record the history of the ocean. For example, by analysing the carbon content of individual layers, we can find the biomass of different ages,” Mr Chen details. “We can also learn a lot from creatures in the Hadal Zones,
especially the microbes living in such extreme conditions. These have become very important for the pharmaceutical industry.” Rainbowfish has already organised two exploration voyages to the Mariana Trench. The company sent research vessels that launched full ocean depth landers capable of reaching the bottom of the sea. The landers were able to film the deep depths of the ocean and collected water, sediment and creature samples. The development of that technology was all part of the company’s plan to build a manned vessel capable of reaching depths of 11,000 metres. The goal is to take scientists to the Mariana Trench in 2023. But with harsh conditions not like anything recorded on the surface, Rainbowfish has found itself in uncharted waters.
“I think sending a manned vehicle to the extreme depths of the ocean is like sending a manned spaceship to Mars. Although humans have already sent many probes to Mars, we still want to be the first to step on the red planet. However, the challenges of going from an unmanned mission to a manned one are great,” Mr Chen explains. He continues, “From a technical aspect, a manned submarine is basically an unmanned vessel equipped with a much stronger cabin sphere; a robust and reliable life support system; and a wellfunctioning wireless communication and positioning system. However, none of these added systems are easy to design or assemble.” The Rainbowfish Project was initiated by Chinese scientist Prof. Weicheng Cui who began his journey as the deputy director of a manned submersible that reached a depth of 7,000 metres. From there he launched Rainbowfish in 2014 with the goal to build a full ocean depth vessel that was capable of sending scientists from all over the world to the deepest points of the ocean. However, this is only part of the firm’s vision.
Deep sea solutions provider
The manned submersible capable of reaching the extreme depths of the Mariana Trench may get most of the headlines, but Rainbowfish is developing what it calls a Movable Laboratory of Hadal Science and Technology.