page_title: MV Xue Long
section_title: Description
hierarchical_section_title: MV Xue Long / Description
caption_attribution_description: English: A model of the Chinese icebreaker vessel Xue Long displayed at the Hong Kong Science Museum. IMO Number: 8877899 MMSI Number: 412863000 Callsign: BNSK Length: 167 m Beam: 25 m
context_page_description: Xue Long 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 2013.
  As of 2018, Xue Long is the only Chinese icebreaking research ship in service. A second Chinese polar icebreaker named MV Xue Long 2, slightly smaller but more capable than Xue Long, entered service in July 2019.
context_section_description: Built at the Kherson Shipyard in Ukraine, 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 when the vessel's technical readiness level was 83% and completed as 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 single 8-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.
  Xue Long has a crew of 34 and can accommodate 128 researchers or passengers. She has 100 square metres (1,100 sq ft) of laboratory space. In addition to a Kamov Ka-32 "Xueying" (Snow Eagle) helicopter, the ship also carries an Arctic class ARV autonomous underwater vehicle on a regular basis.
caption: A model of Xue Long, showing her prior to the 2007 refit.
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