China's most advanced science research vessel Kexue (Science) returned to Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province, on June 22 after finishing its investigation of seamounts in the western Pacific Ocean.

During the expedition, which began on May 18, Faxian (Discovery), a remotely-operated vehicle aboard Kexue, made 19 dives and gathered more than 800 collections of biological samples, including coral, sponges, shrimp and other shellfish, providing firsthand material for the research and protection of seamount biological systems.

"There are about 250 species in the collections, amounting to the total number of species we gathered in two expeditions in the past few years," said Xu Kuidong, chief scientist aboard and a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

(Photos by Xinhua News Agency)