2016年3月18日，《Nature》发表文章，从科研项目层面对我国“十三五”规划进行了解读。文中就深海技术采访问了我校深渊科学与技术中心主任崔维成教授。 崔维成教授在采访问时表示：“对于深海技术来说，这五年将是一个黄金时期。”,原文如下：
In 2012, ‘oceanauts’ aboard the research submersible Jiaolong descended more than 7,000 metres beneath the waves, marking China’s entry into an elite club of nations capable of reaching the hadal zone — the deepest part of the ocean, which begins at 6,000 metres below sea level. Over the next five years, Chinese scientists will build one crewed and one uncrewed submersible, according to a plan released by the science ministry in February, each of which can reach depths of 11,000 metres — the very bottom of the hadal zone. For deep-sea technology, this five years will be a golden period,” says Cui Weicheng of the Hadal Science and Technology Research Center at Shanghai Ocean University.
The uncrewed vessel will be similar to Nereus, the advanced US submersible that imploded in 2014 and will not be replaced. The crewed vessel will hold at least two people, more than the Deepsea Challenger, which took film director James Cameron on a solo dive to the deepest point of the Mariana Trench in 2012. The hadal zone is one of the most poorly studied habitats on Earth, and is home to mysterious tube worms, sea cucumbers and jellyfish. Researchers are also interested in its role in the carbon cycle, because the microbes there digest a surprising amount of organic matter. Chinese scientists hope to use both submersibles to explore the zone in more detail than ever before.
Independently of the latest five-year plan, Cui has also developed a 'movable laboratory' (W. Cui et al. Meth. Oceanogr. 10, 178–193; 2014) composed of three landers, a robotic submersible and a crewed vehicle.The robotic submersible and first lander were tested down to 4,000 metres last October. A mother ship that controls the robot and landers is due to be launched on 24 March, and the first scientific expedition is planned for August, in the New Britain Trench off Papua New Guinea. Together these projects “could help shorten the gap between Chinese ocean science and technology and the most advanced capabilities elsewhere, says Cui.
2012年，蛟龙号潜水器曾于马里亚纳海沟试验海区载人下潜7000余米，标志着中国已有能力进行超深渊带作业。这是海洋的最深区域，位于海平面6000米以下。未来五年，中国还将建造一艘载人和一艘无人潜水器，两者均有能力到达11000米深处——这已经是超深渊带的最底层。
中国的无人潜水器将可与美国之前最先进的潜艇涅柔斯号 (Nereus) 相提并论。遗憾的是，涅柔斯于2014年在克玛德克海沟9900米深处因无法承受巨大压力爆炸解体了。而载人潜水器将能够搭载至少两名工作人员，超越了2012年曾携带著名导演詹姆斯·卡梅隆单独下潜至马里亚纳海沟最深处的“深海挑战者号”。
超深渊带是地球上研究最为匮乏的区域，这里蕴藏着奇异的管虫、海参和水母。研究人员对这一地区的碳循环也很感兴趣，因为这里的微生物需要消耗大量的有机物。中国的两艘新潜艇将有望对这一地区开展更详细的研究。
除此之外，崔教授团队还开发了一间“移动实验室”。它由三个登陆器，一个潜水机器人和一个载人舱组成。机器人和首个登陆器已于2015年10月在海下4000米深处测试，而操控机器人和登陆器的母舰将于今年3月24日下水。首次远征任务将于8月份进行，探索位于巴布亚新几内亚的新不列颠海沟。崔教授表示：“这些项目将缩短中国海洋科学技术与世界顶尖水平的差距。”