Chinese engineers have designed the country’s first tourist submersible equipped to venture as deep as 1,000 metres (3,280 feet) below the ocean surface, reports the South China Morning Post. The move aims to give eventual new momentum to the luxury travel industry.
Engineers at the China Ship Scientific Research Centre in Wuxi plan to build a prototype before the end of the year and enter commercial operation by 2030 for as many as four passengers per trip, says the Post citing state-run media outlets.
Key components including the submersible’s panoramic viewport–one of the hardest parts to design on a deep-sea submersible–have been developed already, China Daily said, quoting research centre director Ye Cong.