XIAMEN, April 18 (Xinhua) -- Research vessel Tan Kah Kee of Xiamen University has sailed to the South China Sea for a 35-day scientific expedition.

Departing Wednesday from Xiamen, east China's Fujian Province, the vessel took 23 researchers from the university and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. They will carry out surveys, take samples, deploy and recover long-term observation instruments in the central South China Sea.

Two weeks before setting out, expedition members were quarantined in Xiamen to prevent the novel coronavirus infection. All of them have undergone a mental health assessment and two nucleic acid tests for the virus, a source of the university said.

The research vessel was named after patriotic overseas Chinese businessman and philanthropist Tan Kah Kee, who established the Xiamen University in 1921.

With a total length of 77.7 meters and a width of 16.2 meters, the vessel has a max speed of 14 knots. It was formally incorporated into the State Oceanographic Research Fleet in 2017 and has conducted various scientific study trips since then.