China's first domestically produced icebreaker "Xuelong 2" is expected to be completed in the first half of 2019 and start trial voyages, reported Guangming Daily on Saturday.

 

中国第一艘自助制造雪龙2号破冰船有望与2019年上半年完工并开始试航。
 

 

It will undergo a series of tests in the polar regions and will then help the current "Xuelong" in the 36th Antarctic research mission, according to the report.

 

The 122.5-meter-long and 22.3-meter-wide ship was designed by the 708th Research Institute of China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) and was assembled in Shanghai.

 

Compared to its predecessor¹, the Xuelong 2 will be more maneuverable with the use of two-way icebreaking technology.

 

The Xuelong 2 is expected to become the basic study platform in China's polar expeditions utilizing² the most advanced equipment, according to Polar Research Institute of China.

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