China carries out a major underwater exploration in the South China Sea. To this end, the research vessel Kexue carries unmanned underwater gliders which are equipped with cameras, Raman spectrometers and other instruments. In the 1st phase of the program, 12 such gliders carried out observations and sent back data in real time. The home naval ports of this flotilla are Xiamen and Qingdao.
CAS news release, July 23, 2017