This picture taken on April 1, 2009 shows the Chinese icebreaker Xue Long (also known as Snow Dragon) arriving at Kaohsiung harbor, Taiwan. (Representational Image)
China plans to build a new and improved icebreaker for its ambitious polar expeditions even as efforts are on to free its veteran vessel which remains stuck in Antarctica after rescuing 52 passengers from a Russian ship.
"The new icebreaker will be shorter and be equipped with blades both at the bow and the stern, which will be able to open ice 1.5 meters thick," Qu Tanzhou, director of the State Oceanic Administration's Chinese Arctic and Antarctic Administration, said.
Qu said that designs for the vessel were in the process after gaining official approval.
Designed mainly for field research instead of transporting supplies, the new icebreaker will also have a better power system, larger decks and laboratories. It will be a "mobile research station," said Qu.
Currently, China's icebreaker Snow Dragon has been trapped by heavy floes since it rescued passengers on a Russian vessel stranded in Antarctica on Thursday.
Put into use in 1994, the Ukraine-built ship was designed for transporting supplies to China's research stations in the Antarctic. It can break ice that is 1.2 meters thick.
A helicopter on board Snow Dragon on Thursday evacuated all 52 passengers aboard the Russian vessel MV Akademik Shokalskiy that had been stranded since Christmas Eve. The passengers were transferred to Australian icebreaker Aurora Australis. The Australian icebreaker had been sent to rescue the Russian ship.
After rescuing the stranded passengers, the Snow Dragon became stuck because of floating ice.
Meanwhile, China has set up a team to rescue its icebreaker stuck in Antarctica.
The State Oceanic Administration (SOA) announced yesterday that the team will map out rescue plans and make "all-out efforts" to coordinate rescue operations, despite there is no immediate danger to personnel aboard the ship, which has abundant fuel and food supplies.
The SOA also ordered its marine forecasting department and meteorological center to step up the collection and analysis of meteorological data, so that weather information will be updated and forwarded in a timely manner.
Currently the ship is surrounded by floes up to four meters thick and is about 21 km away from unfrozen waters.
"If the ship is stranded for a very long time, which is very rare indeed, then we'll have to evacuate the people onboard and leave the vessel there," he said.