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QINGDAO, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- Chinese oceanographic research ship Xiangyanghong 06 departed from eastern Shandong Province Tuesday, beginning a research expedition in the east Pacific.
The 26 scientists on board will undertake research in the Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone over the next 90 days.
The expedition was organized by China Minmetals Corporation, which in May became China's first enterprise to sign a contract with the International Seabed Authority to conduct deep-sea mine prospecting.
The corporation plans to conduct research over a 7.2 million-hectare area during the next 15 years to chart trial mining areas.
