Li Hao
THE icebreaker Xuelong (Snow Dragon) is due to make its first visit to Shenzhen on Nov. 8 and then set sail on China s 27th Antarctic expedition, the city s oceanic bureau said Thursday.
With a length of 167 meters and a beam of 22.6 meters, the polar research vessel is scheduled to leave for Shenzhen from Shanghai, its home port, Nov. 5.
The vessel, an A2 class icebreaker capable of breaking ice 1.2 meters thick, will berth at the city s Yantian port.
Residents can log on to http://www.sznews.com/ to apply to be one of the 1,000 people to be allowed on board the ship Nov. 9 and 10, according to Liang Jun-qian, vice head of the bureau.
The city government will also arrange for about 1,000 students to visit the ship.
A free bus service will be provided on the visiting days.
Inspired by the ship visit, the oceanic bureau has launched a campaign to promote oceanic and polar knowledge among the public, especially youngsters, said He Yongzhi, head of the bureau.
Two exhibitions on polar exploration are being held at the Civic Center in Futian CBD and Shenzhen International Garden and Flower Expo Park.
The exhibition at the Civic Center features China s scientific expeditions to the Antarctic and an overview of the icebreaker.
Residents can get a closer look at Antarctic penguines, arctic foxes and seals at the exhibition at the Flower Expo Park.
In addition, two lectures will be given by polar research experts during the ship stay in the city.
It will be the first time the icebreaker has started an Antarctic expedition from a port other than its home port, according to the bureau.
Besides performing scientific research, the 193-member expedition team will supply and maintain equipment at China s three research stations in the South Pole, including Kunlun Station at Dome Argus (Dome A), the pole s highest icecap at 4,093 meters above sea level.
Dome A has unique geographic and land features and is the world s best astronomy observation point. The ice layers there can be used for climate research, said Xia Limin, deputy leader of the expedition team.
The vessel is scheduled to return in April next year.
Xue Long was built at the Kherson Shipyard, Ukraine, in 1993, and was originally conceived for cargo transportation in the Arctic. It was purchased by China shortly after its commissioning and modified to turn it into a polar research vessel.
