MV Xue Long

Xue Long departing from Fremantle in March 2016
History
China
NameXue Long (simplified Chinese: 雪龙; traditional Chinese: 雪龍; pinyin: Xuě Lóng)
OperatorPolar Research Institute of China[2]
Port of registryShanghai, People's Republic of China
BuilderKherson Shipyard, Ukraine
Yard number6003[3]
Laid down1 January 1990[4]
Completed1 March 1993[2]
Refit2007
Identification
StatusIn service
General characteristics [2]
TypeResearch vessel
Tonnage
Displacement21,025 tons
Length167 m (548 ft)
Beam22.6 m (74 ft)
Draft9 m (30 ft)
Ice classCCS B1*
Installed power
  • BMZ 8DKRN60/195 (13,200 kW) (1993–2013)
  • Wärtsilä 6RT-flex60C (13,200 kW) (2013–)[3]
PropulsionSingle-shaft, ducted controllable-pitch propeller
Speed
  • 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph) (max)
  • 1.5 knots (2.8 km/h; 1.7 mph) in 1.1 m (3.6 ft) ice
Range20,000 nautical miles (37,000 km; 23,000 mi)[5]
Complement34 crew, 128 passengers or researchers
Aircraft carriedOne helicopter (e.g. Kamov Ka-32A (Snow Eagle) used by Chinare or Harbin Z-9)[citation needed]
Aviation facilitiesHelipad
Notes100 m2 (1,100 sq ft) laboratory space

Xue Long (simplified Chinese: 雪龙; traditional Chinese: 雪龍; pinyin: Xuě Lóng; lit. 'Snow Dragon', shway-lung)[6] is a Chinese icebreaking research vessel. Built in 1993 at Kherson Shipyard in Ukraine, she was converted from an Arctic cargo ship to a polar research and re-supply vessel by Hudong–Zhonghua Shipbuilding of Shanghai by the mid-1990s. The vessel was extensively upgraded in 2007 and 2013.

Until 2019, Xue Long was the only Chinese icebreaking research ship in service. A second Chinese polar icebreaker named MV Xue Long 2,[7] slightly smaller but more capable, entered service in July 2019.[citation needed]

  1. ^ "Xue Long (8877899)". Equasis. Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy. Retrieved 2012-09-12.
  2. ^ a b c "Xue Long (93S1010)". Register of ships. China Classification Society. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Xue Long (8877899)". Sea-web. S&P Global. Retrieved 2015-10-21.
  4. ^ China Classification Society Archived 2014-01-06 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ A Brief Introduction of R/V Xuelong. Chinese Arctic and Antarctic Administration. Retrieved 2012-07-17.
  6. ^ Alan Boyle (2013-12-30). "How icebreakers work — and why they sometimes don't work". NBC News. Archived from the original on 2013-12-30.
  7. ^ "First Chinese-built polar icebreaker gets name". Xinhua. 10 October 2017. Archived from the original on 20 April 2018. Retrieved 19 April 2018.