Xue Long 2
Chinese polar research vessel
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Xue Long 2 (simplified Chinese: 雪龙2; traditional Chinese: 雪龍2; pinyin: Xuě Lóng 2; lit. 'Snow Dragon 2') is a Chinese icebreaking research vessel that entered service in 2019. She follows the naming of Xue Long, China's first polar research vessel.[3]
Xue Long 2 at Victoria Harbour in 2024 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 China | |
| Name | Xue Long 2 (simplified Chinese: 雪龙2; traditional Chinese: 雪龍2; pinyin: Xuě Lóng 2) |
| Owner | Polar Research Institute of China |
| Port of registry | Shanghai, China |
| Builder | Jiangnan Shipyard, Shanghai, China |
| Yard number | H2650 |
| Launched | 10 September 2018[1] |
| Completed | 11 July 2019 |
| Identification | IMO number: 9829241 |
| Status | In service |
| General characteristics [2] | |
| Type | Research vessel |
| Displacement | 14,300 tons |
| Length | 122.5 m (402 ft) |
| Beam | 22.3 m (73 ft) |
| Draught |
|
| Depth | 11.8 m (39 ft) |
| Ice class | Polar Class 3 |
| Installed power | |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| Capacity | 90 crew and scientists |
| Aviation facilities | Helideck and hangar |
History
The 5 million euro[4] design contract for China's first domestically-built polar research vessel was signed in 2012 with the Finnish engineering company Aker Arctic, though construction did not begin until December 2016.[3] She was built at Jiangnan Shipyard.[3]
Xue Long 2 now in service both as a supply vessel for China's research facilities in the Arctic and Antarctic regions and as a research vessel, with capabilities for geological and biological experimentation and surveying.[5]
On July 25, 2025, the U.S. Coast Guard spotted Xue Long 2 about 290 nautical miles north of Utqiagvik, Alaska, 130 nautical miles inside the U.S.'s extended continental shelf.[6]
Design
Xue Long 2 measures 122.5 metres (402 ft) long, with a beam of 22.3 metres (73 ft) and a draft of 8.3 metres (27 ft) at full load.[5] She has a displacement of 14,300 tonnes.[5] She has a diesel-electric propulsion system, with two 8-cylinder and two 12-cylinder engines, both Wärtsilä 32-series designs,[7] powering two 7.5 MW Azipod propulsion units that give her a speed of up to 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) in open water and 3 knots (5.6 km/h; 3.5 mph) when breaking 1.5-metre (4.9 ft) ice.[5][8] Her ice class is Polar Class 3 and she is able to break ice while traveling either ahead or astern.[5]
