China Ocean Voyage 73, which also served as the 2022 expedition to the China Minmetals polymetallic nodule contract area, recently completed all of its survey tasks and returned safely to port in Xiamen. The voyage was organized by the China Ocean Affairs Administration and China Minmetals. Changsha Research Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (CRIMM), the lead unit within China Minmetals for the exploration contract, carried it out jointly with MCC Wukan (the Wuhan Surveying and Geotechnical Engineering institute of China Metallurgical Group), the Second Institute of Oceanography of the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Changsha Institute of Mining Research and other units.
The voyage conducted 105 days of resource exploration and environmental surveys, covering a total of more than 23,000 kilometers. The expedition team completed the annual tasks for both the China Minmetals polymetallic nodule contract area and the COMRA (China Ocean Mineral Resources R&D Association) polymetallic nodule contract area as planned, strictly fulfilling China’s commitments to the International Seabed Authority, and dedicated the results to the convening of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.
The voyage further consolidated the controlled and measured resource quantities in the two polymetallic nodule contract areas, obtained large volumes of geological and environmental samples and raw data, and carried out environmental baseline studies of the impact reference zone and the preservation reference zone, laying a solid foundation for the future green development of deep-sea resources.
The in-situ sediment geotechnical testing instrument developed by CRIMM was again applied successfully during the voyage’s surveys, and the institute’s polymetallic nodule enrichment device and in-situ abundance assessment system completed sea trials for the first time, achieving their targets.
The expedition received strong support from the Ocean Affairs Administration and close attention and planning from China Minmetals, whose science and technology management department and other functional departments guided and managed the entire campaign. CRIMM and the participating units overcame the long duration, harsh ocean conditions, complex pandemic controls and demanding survey tasks to complete the expedition. CRIMM said it will continue to implement China Minmetals’ strategic plans for the green development of deep-sea mineral resources and contribute to the group’s Five Action Plans and Five-Type Minmetals initiatives.
