A new ship Ji Di was presented in Guangzhou on June 24th. It’s the fourth icebreaking vessel for China. First two ships were the ‘Snow Dragons’: Xue Long 1 bought from Ukraine in 1994 and Xue Long 2 constructed entirely in China in 2018.
The ship is rather compact: the length is 89,95 m, its width is 17.8 m and displacement equals 5,600 tonnes. However, it’s quite enough to conduct thorough research and to provide for up to 80 days expeditions for a crew of 60.
Ji Di, which stands for ‘Pole’ or ‘Polar Region’, is a PC6 class icebreaking vessel designated specifically for research and environment monitoring. Though it cannot be exactly called an icebreaker due to its initial purpose, that is, a compact vessel for scientific reasons, it is the most modern ship among polar research vessels (PRVs). As for the equipment, it can host drones, underwater robots and submersibles. This will allow the crew to study the environment “in the air, space, sea, ice and submersible areas”. The ship is said to break one-year ice with a thickness of one metre.
The first expedition for Ji Di is scheduled for the second half of 2024. The vessel will conduct research in the Yellow Sea and the Bohai Sea.
All in all, it seems that China has rather serious intentions in strengthening its fleet with icebreaking ships. Chinese constructors are very meticulous when it comes to the expedition experience of both Xue Long vessels. Everything is taken into account for future improvement. Worth noting that Ji Di was constructed rather fast: the Guangzhou shipyard began the process in 2022 and launched the ship at the end of 2023.
The same approach towards modernization can be noticed in the case of the PC4 class icebreaker Tan Suo San Hao (‘Discovery Three’) which was also constructed in Guangzhou. The vessel is equipped with a resembling cutting-edge technology for research and will begin service in 2025.
At this point, China is able to launch expeditions to both Poles and deliver needed supplies year-round. From the standpoint of an ongoing research, the country doesn’t depend on season change. This provides the continuity and the sustainability of Chinese stations in the Arctic and the Antarctic.
The tempo of ships’ production also makes the country an attractive partner for ‘outsourcing’ the construction of icebreakers. To date, Russia has shown interest in constructing icebreakers in India as a part of bilateral Polar cooperation. We might expect a slight chance of cooperation in the country's partnership with China.
The question remains, however, whether Ji Di and Tan Suo San Hao will prove their effectiveness like Xue Long 2 and would go farther than the Yellow and Bohai Seas to conduct research in the Arctic. As of yet, there are only guesses in the media for ship’s service in the North.
Experience in icebreakers’ construction is really important, as now China only refines technologies on smaller projects and creates new ships relying solely on the country's own resources. Skills and expertise in this field will surely find use when constructing bigger and more powerful icebreakers which will allow China to enhance its presence in both Polar regions. This trend in shipbuilding is certainly changing to the form of a geopolitical confrontation. The first country to worry will be the US which is currently short on icebreakers.
The Editorial Board of the Arctic Century
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