Construction of the National Deep Sea Center is expected to start before May in Qingdao, Shandong province, with an investment of nearly 500 million yuan ($80 million), according to a statement released on the website of the State Oceanic Administration on Saturday.

Construction of the 26-hectare center is expected to last up to three years.

The center will include five quay berths, a maintenance workshop, a communications center and a training center.

"The design plan has been sent to the National Development and Reform Commission and is expected to be approved this year," Liu Feng, director of the center said.

The center will serve as the country's main scientific and research platform for deep-sea equipment and will be the new home for the Jiaolong, China's manned submersible, which recently reached a record depth of 7,062 meters.