R/V TAN SUO ER HAO is a mothership for manned/unmanned submersible fully equipped with domestically produced scientific research operation equipment. In addition to supporting conventional scientific research operations in the deep sea, it can also carry the 10000m HOV Fendouzhe and the 4500m HOV Shenhaiyongshi. Financed for purchase by the People's Governments of Hainan Province and Sanya City, it was completed through adaptive retrofitting and construction at Fujian Mawei Shipyard over one and a half years under the support and organization of major special projects in Hainan Province and the Strategic Priority Research Program (Category A) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

R/V TAN SUO ER HAO has an overall length of 87.25m, a draft of 5.4m, a full-load displacement of 6832.6t, a maximum speed of 14.2kn, an economic speed of 11kn, a range of more than 15,000nmi, and a self-sustaining capacity of more than 60 days. The ship is equipped with all-rotating electric propulsion thrusters and a DP-2 dynamic positioning system. The aft deck covers an area of approximately 570m², with 13 laboratories (total area of 460m²), including electromechanical laboratory, comprehensive laboratory, as well as specialized laboratories for biology, geology, chemistry, geophysics, low-temperature sample storage, acoustic control rooms, data centers, etc. The ship is equipped with a 100t stern A-frame (50t guide connection mechanism), a 10t telescopic folding arm crane, full-ocean depth geological winch, CTD winch, optical cable winch, as well as full-ocean depth ultra-short baseline positioning, underwater acoustic communication, multi-beam and other equipment, enabling manned deep-sea scientific research operations, comprehensive deep-sea scientific research investigations, sea trials of engineering equipment and other tasks.