China's expanding next-generation icebreaker fleet welcomes Jidi, its newest member

China's fourth polar research icebreaker was delivered to the Ministry of Natural Resources in Guangzhou's Nansha district on Monday and was expected to be dispatched for research resupply missions later this year.

"Jidi", which translates to "polar region", is the latest addition to China's next generation of icebreakers, alongside Xuelong 1 and Xuelong 2, which are tasked to support research and replenish supplies for the nation's seven stations at the North and South Poles. It was designed and built by CSSC Offshore & Marine Engineering Company in Nansha, which is owned by China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation.

"In winter, the ship can sail in the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea to break ice, conduct marine environment monitoring and sea ice measurements ... and also manage ice area rescues," Cai Ruimou, Jidi's chief designer, told state broadcaster CCTV.

Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.

In an earlier interview, Cai said the ship could break ice up to 1 metre (39 inches) thick, making it suitable for voyages in the Yellow Sea and the Bohai Sea, where ice usually forms first in the winter season and seldom gets much thicker than 1.2 metres. Multi-year ice can reach thicknesses of 3 metres.

The vessel will be used to conduct polar and deep-sea surveys over summer months, Cai said. It would also help improve China's marine disaster prevention and mitigation capabilities, CCTV reported.

Jidi is the latest addition to China's expanding next-generation icebreaker fleet, which has allowed the country to make year-round scientific expeditions to the geopolitically important polar regions.

The boat first debuted at the Guangzhou Shipyard in December and has since completed construction and undergone testing.

Zhang Fumin, China State Shipbuilding Corporation's chief designer, told CCTV in January that the vessel would be "beneficial" to the development of China's polar, deep-sea and long-distance marine science and technology.

China's fourth polar research icebreaker Jidi will undertake research missions later this year. Photo: CCTV alt=China's fourth polar research icebreaker Jidi will undertake research missions later this year. Photo: CCTV>

"The significance of the completion of the construction of the Jidi icebreaker research vessel is that our country has completely systematised the research system of the entire ice zone, that is, including the North and South Poles," Zhang said.

According to Beijing Daily, China built more than 30 marine research vessels between 2010 and 2022, including the Xuelong icebreakers and Zhongshan Daxue Jidi, which has the largest displacement and the strongest comprehensive research capabilities of all the icebreakers.

Jidi has a displacement of 5,600 tonnes, is 17.8 metres wide and 89 metres long - the length of three basketball courts.

With a range of 26,000km (16,155 miles), the ship can remain at sea with a crew of up to 60 for as long as 80 days. The Jidi can carry drones, unmanned ships, underwater autonomous robots and other equipment used in deep polar seabed exploration.

Jidi's "integrated research capability" means it is equipped to conduct research in the air, space, sea, ice and submersible areas with the help of China's satellite network system.

It is also able to simultaneously complete multidisciplinary comprehensive scientific expedition tasks, including gathering atmospheric, geophysics and sea ice data, as well as collecting information from bodies of water.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2024 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Copyright (c) 2024. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.