2018 – RV "Shen Kuo" –– On its maiden voyage, the 2,150-ton twin-hulled scientific research vessel "Shen Kuo" (also "Shengkuo", "Shen Ko", or "Shen Quo"), departed Shanghai on 25 November 2018 and returned 8 January 2019. They operated in the Mariana Trench area, and on 13 December tested a system of underwater navigation at a depth exceeding 10,000 metres, during a field trial of the "Tsaihungyuy" (ultra-short baseline) system. Project leader Tsui Veichen stated that, with the tsaihungyuy equipment at depth, it was possible to obtain a signal and determine exact geolocations. The research team from Shanghai Ocean University and Westlake University was led by Cui Weicheng, director of Shanghai Ocean University’s Hadal Science and Technology Research Center (HSRC).