Japanese vessel Chikyu sets record for deep-sea drilling

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2012-04-29

A Japanese research institute has claimed that its deep-sea drilling probe has set a new record for depth by reaching 25,400 feet below the Pacific Ocean's surface.

The Chikyu, operated by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, was digging the seabed off Japan's north coast to take fault samples to study last year's earthquake and tsunami.

Maritime organisations say the US vessel Glomar Challenger set the previous record of 23,130ft below sea surface in the Mariana Trench in 1978.

The Chikyu, whish is a 56,700-ton deep-sea research vessel, was at anchor about 220 kilometers (136.7 miles) off Oshika Peninsula, Miyagi Prefecture, to research the focal regions on the seabed around the Japan Trench.

Source: The Japan News.Net

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