Xue Long
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Xue Long departing from Fremantle in March 2016
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| Name: | Xue Long (simplified Chinese: 雪龙; traditional Chinese: 雪龍; pinyin: Xuě Lóng) |
| Owner: | Polar Research Institute of China |
| Port of registry: | Shanghai, People's Republic of China |
| Builder: | Kherson Shipyard, Ukraine |
| Yard number: | 6003 |
| Laid down: | 1 January 1990 |
| Completed: | 1 March 1993 |
| Acquired: | 1 March 1993 |
| Refit: | 2007 |
| Identification: | IMO number: 8877899 Call sign: BNSK MMSI number: 412863000 |
| Status: | In service |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Research vessel |
| Tonnage: | 15,352 GT 4,605 NT 8,759 DWT |
| Displacement: | 21,025 tons |
| Length: | 167 m (548 ft) |
| Beam: | 22.6 m (74 ft) |
| Draft: | 9 m (30 ft) |
| Ice class: | CCS B1 |
| Installed power: | BMZ 8DKRN60/195 (13,200 kW) (1993–2013) Wärtsilä 6RT-flex60C (13,200 kW) (2013–) |
| Propulsion: | Single shaft, ducted controllable-pitch propeller |
| Speed: | 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph) (max) 1.5 knots (2.8 km/h; 1.7 mph) in 1.1 m (3 ft 7 in) ice |
| Range: | 20,000 nautical miles (37,000 km; 23,000 mi) |
| Complement: | 34 crew, 128 passengers or researchers |
| Aircraft carried: | One helicopter |
| Aviation facilities: | Helipad |
| Notes: | 100 m2 (1,100 sq ft) laboratory space |
Xue Long (simplified Chinese: 雪龙; traditional Chinese: 雪龍; pinyin: Xuě Lóng; literally: "Snow Dragon") is a Chinese icebreaking research vessel. Built in 1993 at Kherson Shipyard in Ukraine, she was converted from an Arctic cargo ship to a polar research and re-supply vessel by Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding of Shanghai by the mid-90s. The vessel was extensively upgraded in 2007 and was expected to go through another upgrade in 2013, but it is not known if the latter refit was carried out.
As of 2012[update], Xue Long is the only Chinese icebreaking research ship in service. A second Chinese polar icebreaker, slightly smaller but more capable than Xue Long, is currently at the design stage and is expected to enter service in 2016.
Built at the Kherson Shipyard in Ukraine and completed on 25 March 1993, Xue Long started her life as a Project 10621 icebreaking cargo and supply ship designed for the Russian Arctic. She was purchased by the People's Republic of China and converted to a polar research and re-supply vessel in 1994. In 2007, the ship was extensively upgraded to extend her service life by another 15 years. During the mid-life refit, the ship received a new superstructure that considerably changed her external appearance. She received another technical update in 2013 which included replacing her main engine.
Xue Long is 167 metres (548 ft) long and has a beam of 22.6 metres (74 ft). When loaded to a draft of 9 metres (30 ft), she has a displacement of 21,025 tons. The ship was originally powered by a single8-cylinder BMZ 8DKRN60/195 low-speed two-stroke diesel engine, a licence-built version of B&W 8L60MC, producing 13,200 kW (17,700 hp). During the 2013 refit, the main engine was replaced with an equally powered Wärtsilä 6RT-flex60C diesel engine. The main engine is coupled to a ducted controllable-pitch propeller. In open water, Xue Long can achieve a maximum speed of 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph) while in 1.1-metre (4 ft) ice she can proceed at 1.5 knots (2.8 km/h; 1.7 mph). Her ice class, assigned by the China Classification Society (CCS), is B1.
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