Four Chinese icebreaking research vessels set off on Arctic expedition
One of the vessels, Tansuo-3, is equipped with a moon pool, allowing it to deploy a crewed deep-sea submersible for scientific exploration of the Arctic seabed.
China launched its 16th scientific expedition to the Arctic Ocean on 3 July, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources. This is the first time China sends four research ships on an Arctic expedition.
Three of the four vessels are icebreakers: Xuelong, Xuelong 2 and Jidi, whose names translate as Snow Dragon, Snow Dragon II and Polar.
Xuelong is well known in the European Arctic after taking part in numerous expeditions to the Barents Sea and the waters around Svalbard. Originally built as an Arctic cargo vessel at the Kherson shipyard in Ukraine, it was purchased by China in 1994 and later converted into a polar research vessel.
According to the Polar Research Institute of China (PRIC), the expedition will continue until October.
"This expedition will focus on addressing global climate change and its impacts, conducting comprehensive surveys and monitoring in key Arctic Ocean areas, covering sea ice, hydrology, biology, ecology, and atmospheric environment," PRIC said in a joint statement with the Ministry of Natural Resources.
"It will also explore cutting-edge international Arctic issues such as the accretion mechanism of the Gakkel Ridge and the dynamic evolution of ocean crust, and collaborate with scientists from Russia, Germany, and other countries to provide scientific support for my country and the international community to better understand and protect the Arctic and carry out Arctic governance."
The Gakkel Ridge, also known as the Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge, is a 1,800-kilometre-long underwater mountain range and divergent plate boundary in the Arctic Ocean. It stretches from north of Greenland to the Laptev Sea off the Siberian coast.
Tansuo-3 ("Exploration-3") will work alongside the three icebreakers during the expedition's deep-sea exploration programme. Commissioned in December 2024, the multifunctional research vessel is designed to support full-ocean-depth scientific missions and carries the crewed deep-sea submersible Shenhai Yongshi ("Deep Sea Warrior").
The submersible can be launched through the vessel's moon pool, enabling scientific operations beneath Arctic sea ice in conditions where conventional deployment methods would be difficult or impossible.
The Tansuo-3 was also last summer sailing in Russian Arctic waters north of Siberia.
