GUANGZHOU, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) -- China's first self-designed deep-sea exploration vessel has returned to port on Tuesday after completing an arduous scientific research journey over the Pacific, local authorities said.

The Ocean No.6 returned to port in Guangdong's Dongguan City after spending 197 days conducting deep-sea surveys on a nearly 60,000-km voyage, according to He Gaowen, a senior engineer with the Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey (GMGS) under the China Geological Survey.

It made significant achievements in surveys of rare earth, cobalt-rich crusts and polymetallic nodules, as well as in the application of a homegrown remote operated vehicle, He said.

The vessel will take part in a scientific expedition in Antarctica in 2016, which will take about 300 days, the engineer added.