China claims progress in helping recover sunken Indonesian submarine after tragedy
- Chinese naval fleet advances from underwater survey to the salvage phase, says defence attaché in Indonesia
- Humanitarian operation described as important to the relationship between the two countries and their militaries
“Currently, the Chinese naval fleet has moved forward from an underwater target survey to the challenging phase of salvage,” Chen Yongjing, defence attaché for the Chinese embassy to Jakarta, told the state broadcaster.
It is the first time a Chinese submarine rescue team has taken part in an international recovery mission of this type.
By Tuesday, its diving vehicle had completed 13 undersea operations to the submarine wreckage lying 839 metres (2,750 feet) deep, in which they scanned the seabed and collected photos and videos of three main pieces of debris for the next step of the salvage, according to Chen Chuanxu, chief scientist on the research ship Exploration 2.
They retrieved over 700kg (1,540 pounds) of debris, including a life raft from the submarine. The team also found the bow fin that had not been located during earlier searches, Chen said.