介绍:
Xuelong belongs to the Polar Research Institute of China. It is the largest non-nuclear powered icebreaker in the world. It can break through 1.2m of ice. As China's largest polar expedition vessel and only polar expedition ice-breaker, it has made five voyages to the Arctic and 30 voyages to the Antarctic.
The former captain of "Xuelong", Shen Quan, who sailed the vessel to its northern-most point, explains how the ice-breaker works.
"Xue Long's stem is shaped at a 45 degree angle for breaking ice. The front of the stem is integrally molded, guaranteeing that Xue Long will have enough strength to break ice; more importantly, it guarantees the vessel will climb over the ice and crush it with the ship's weight, so it actually moves up and down when it's breaking ice."
The vessel was built as an ice-resistant cargo ship in Ukraine in 1993. Now, it serves mainly as a supply vessel for China's four research stations in Antartic, and also as a scientific research platform in the Antarctic as well as the Arctic.
Zhang Haisheng is the Director of the Second Institute of Oceanography under State Oceanic Administration.
"Xuelong has all the conventional marine survey equipment and shipborne device. For example, it has a ten-thousand meter winch, CTD, and CTD winch. This is very advanced survey equipment. It is also equipped with laboratories and many lab devices, including some analytical observation devices and testing equipment."
Xuelong is 167 meters long and 23 meters wide. It can accommodate up to 128 scientific personnel and passengers. It normally carries one helicopter, a research boat, and an autonomous underwater vehicle.
China is now designing a new research icebreaker, to be launched in 2014. It will be equipped with the most advanced equipment for marine, polar and astronomical research. The icebreaker will be stronger than Xuelong, able to sail through thicker ice and tougher conditions.
For CRI, I'm Ding Lulu.
