China’s research icebreaker “Xuelong 2” or “Snow Dragon 2” has started a 15-day trial sailing in East China Sea, reports Xinhua News Agency.
As one of the most crucial parts in the vessel’s construction, 46 systems and nearly 200 sets of equipment on “Xuelong 2” will be under comprehensive functional experiments.
Different from regular ships, the propelling system, dynamic positioning system, vibration noise, underwater radiation noise and the smart system are the key systems of a research icebreaker.
After the trial sailing, the “Xuelong 2” will be under bollard pull special test at once and be prepared for final delivery.
The “Xuelong 2” is the first domestically built polar research vessel and icebreaker. It is 122.5 meters long and 22.3 meters wide and has two-direction icebreaking capabilities with both its bow and stern.