Two Chinese-made polar icebreakers, the Xuelong 2 and the Jidi, opened for public tours on Wednesday in Qingdao, a port city in east China’s Shandong Province. Moored at the Qingdao International Sailing Center, the two vessels will be open for public tours until noon on Thursday, with an expected attendance of about 3,600 visitors.
The name “Jidi” means “polar region” in Chinese. Jidi is a new-generation research icebreaker, designed and manufactured domestically, which was delivered on June 24. Measuring 90 meters long and 18 meters wide, the ship can break through ice up to 1 meter thick.
Equipped with a wide range of marine research equipment, Jidi is designed to perform comprehensive observation tasks, including analyzing sea ice, conducting 3D water body studies, conducting geophysical surveys and monitoring the atmosphere.
Xuelong 2, or “Snow Dragon,” is China’s first self-developed polar research icebreaker. It is also the world’s first ship to use bidirectional icebreaking technology, which allows it to break ice while moving forward and backward with the help of its bow and stern. The ship participated in China’s polar expedition for the first time in 2019 and completed the country’s 40th Antarctic expedition in April this year.
Source: https://www.chinahoje.net/quebra-gelos-polares-da-china-sao-abertos-a-visitacao-publica/
