QINGDAO -- Construction of China's national deep-sea base kicked off on Friday in the coastal city of Qingdao in East China's Shandong province.

Liu Feng, director of the administration center of the base, said it will become a multi-functional platform that will enable China to study and explore the ocean.

With an investment of over 500 million yuan ($82 million), the base will cover about 26 hectares of land and 62.7 hectares of sea in Jimo city, serving as a support station for deep-sea facilities, including Jiaolong, China's manned submersible.

The base is designed to include a construction and maintenance workshop, a scientific research building, a large pool for experimental dives, and training facilities, according to Liu.

Approved by the State Council in January 2007, the construction of the base is planned to be finished by the end of 2014, and it should be put into operation in 2015.