China Launches Its Starting Fourth Dimension Domestically Built Icebreaker

As foretold yesteryear the prophesy.
Actually no prophesy, it was simply getting the opportunity to inquire roughly real smart people what's upwards amongst China too the Arctic.

"China opens bids for starting fourth dimension nuclear-powered icebreaker"
Back inward March nosotros intro'd "U.S. Navy Releases Proposal Request for Coast Guard’s New Heavy Polar Icebreaker" with:

If the U.S. were serious the request-for-proposal would endure for 6 ships too they would stimulate got been started 5 to 10 years ago.
China, a non-polar acre already has a modest fleet of calorie-free too medium icebreakers too is rumored to stimulate got plans for a novel medium amongst a 3-3.5 meter-thick-ice capability equally a stepping-stone to a twosome heavy icebreakers yesteryear the mid-to-late 2020's. They are serious nearly their Polar Silk Road.*

It appears the rumors were true....... On the other hand, if you lot read Xinhua's translation of January's "Full text: China's Arctic Policy" you'll banknote they telephone telephone themselves a ‘Near-Arctic state’.
This is to counter people similar me using the 'non-polar' or 'non-Arctic' phrasing.

Additionally China is couching their involvement inward price of research:

States from exterior the Arctic portion do non stimulate got territorial sovereignty inward the Arctic, but they do stimulate got rights inward observe of scientific research, navigation, overflight, fishing, laying of submarine cables too pipelines inward the high seas too other relevant bounding main areas inward the Arctic Ocean, too rights to resources exploration too exploitation inward the Area, pursuant to treaties such equally UNCLOS too full general international law. In addition, Contracting Parties to the Spitsbergen Treaty relish the freedom of access too entry to sure as shooting areas of the Arctic, the correct nether weather condition of equality and, inward accordance amongst law, to the exercise too do of scientific research, production too commercial activities such equally hunting, fishing, too mining inward these areas....

too is dedicating 1100 foursquare feet of infinite on the latest planned icebreaker to laboratories.

For roughly argue I'm reminded of the fourth dimension the Chinese bought their starting fourth dimension aircraft carrier from Ukraine.
More afterwards the jump/


From High North News, Sept. 11:

China Launches Domestically-Built “Xue Long 2” Icebreaker
 China launches the Xue Long 2, its starting fourth dimension domestically-built icebreaker, it similar a shot matches the U.S. inward price of operational icebreakers. And additional Polar Class icebreakers are already on the drawing board.

China launched the Xue Long 2 (雪龙2), which translates to “Snow Dragon”, inward an elaborate ceremony at the Jiangnan Shipyard inward Shanghai on September 10, 2018. The novel icebreaker follows on the heels of China’s starting fourth dimension official Arctic policy announced inward early on 2018, inward which the province placed exceptional emphasis on maritime navigation too the importance of opened upwards access to the Arctic Ocean. It aims to include the portion inward its Belt too Road Initiative equally a novel “Polar Silk Road.”

The new flagship icebreaker, operated yesteryear the civilian Polar Research Institute of China (PRIC), was developed inward cooperation amongst Finnish ship-building specialists Aker Arctic too set downwards at the terminate of 2016. Designs were finalized yesteryear the Chinese Marine Design too Research Institute inward Shanghai too the vessel was assembled from 114 private segments yesteryear the China State Shipbuilding Corporation inward simply over 2 years.

China increases capacity equally U.S. falls behind
With 2 fully operational icebreakers, China similar a shot matches the capacity of the United States of America of America Coast Guard, which operates a unmarried modern icebreaker, the USCGC Healy. The hereafter of the U.S.’s sole remaining polar cast icebreaker, the 42-year onetime USCGC Polar Star, slated to endure decommissioned yesteryear 2023, has go increasingly uncertain since the vessel suffered an engine failure too engine room flooding before this year. 

And it remains uncertain when the U.S. volition endure able to procure novel icebreakers. “The U.S. Government Accountability Office has questioned the mightiness of the U.S. to run across Congress’s requests for novel icebreakers,” explains Andrew Holland, Director of Studies too Senior Fellow for Energy too Climate American Security Project.

“At a fourth dimension when our primary geopolitical competitors are investing inward novel icebreakers to accept payoff of the melting Arctic, it is real unsafe that the U.S. refuses to pass the resources necessary to secure its identify inward the hereafter Arctic. If the U.S. isn’t at the tabular array equally the Arctic authorities is beingness decided, too then American interests won’t endure represented yesteryear the outcomes.”


Xue Long 2 is highly maneuverable
The Polar Class three icebreaker is capable of breaking through ice upwards to 1.5 meters thick at a speed of 2-3 knots. As the starting fourth dimension civilian vessel of its kind, the Xue Long 2 was designed amongst a dual directional hull too bow allowing it to intermission H2O ice inward either management of travel. This unique characteristic makes it highly maneuverable inward hard H2O ice weather condition too allows it to a greater extent than flexible navigation inward changing ice-covered waters. In a disputation Aker Arctic called the ship “the world’s most advanced polar enquiry vessel” based on a concept developed yesteryear the fellowship next extensive opened upwards H2O too H2O ice tests to verify the hull design.

The vessel is powered yesteryear 2 16-cylinder too 2 12-cylinder Wärtsilä diesel fuel engines supplying electrical mightiness to 2 7.5 MW Azipod steerable propeller units accelerating the send upwards to xv knots or 27.8km/h. With a length of 122.5 meters, a breadth of 22.3 meters, too a displacement of 13,990 tons, the Xue Long 2 is smaller than the master copy Xue Long, originally designed equally an ice-breaking cargo ship, which China procured from Ukraine inward 1994 afterwards the collapse of the Soviet Union.

The novel icebreaker was designed specifically for scientific exploration too tin household upwards to xc crew too scientists during 60-day long voyages across 20,000 nautical miles. It features a 3.2m x 3.2m satelite puddle through the bottom of the vessel which allows access to H2O ice below the send for scientific experiments too research. The send volition provide capacity to China’s growing Arctic too Antarctic programs too complement the Xue Long which has conducted nine Arctic too 34 Antarctic expeditions since 1994.

just became the starting fourth dimension container ship to transit Russia's Northern Sea Route tin larn through 2-3 feet of H2O ice too Teekay's novel LNG carrier, the Eduard Toll, was breaking through 1.8 meters of ice on its inaugural  run from Yamal inward January.

The affair that is impressive nearly the Xue Long 2 is that the Chinese built it themselves.
As noted inward the outro from the nuclear-powered ship, the strategy is similar to the i they used to pursue their aircraft carrier dreams.
Here's the brusk version of the fourth dimension the Chinese bought their starting fourth dimension aircraft carrier from Ukraine.

The Ukrainians wouldn't sell if the large boat were going to endure used for armed forces purposes.
So the Chinese said "Ahhh...casino"
"That's it, we're only going to job it equally a floating casino, Chinese people similar to gamble, come upwards on lucky 8, that's the ticket!"

Here's the Casino:

As tin endure seen, gamblers are able to wing correct inward for the action, Pai Gow to starboard, baccarat to port.
I can't await to see what's cookin' inward the icebreaker laboratories.

After opposite technology scientific discipline everything on the casino, Xinhua announced inward Dec 2015: "China edifice instant aircraft carrier".based on the Varyag plans.

They volition job the sense gained edifice that send to build their instant Chinese-made carrier (third total) which volition endure built to an alone novel plan.

Same affair amongst the icebreakers.  The novel i refines structure expertise for the adjacent homemade send too away they go,

If interested see too January's "Don't Fear China's Arctic Takeover" too "Russia Official Announces Plans to Build Space Age Nuclear Icebreakers":

U.S. Watchdog Warns The Coast Guard To Get Real About Its Plans To Field Critical New Icebreakers"