Xuelong will test the Northwest Passage for the first time
The Polar Research Center of China held a press conference in Shanghai on Monday, announcing that China will launch its eighth Arctic scientific expedition on July 20. The Xuelong will sail around the Arctic Ocean for the first time and test the Northwest Passage for the first time.
The 96-member expedition is expected to cover a total voyage of more than 19,000 nautical miles for 83 days, and is scheduled to return to the port of Shanghai on October 10.
The expedition, with the Xuelong Polar research vessel as the platform, will carry out a comprehensive survey of the Arctic shipping route, Marine biodiversity, Marine hydrology, Marine chemistry, Marine geology, Marine microplastics and Marine litter and other pollutants. Operational surveys will be carried out in key sea areas such as the Bering Sea, Chukchi Sea, Nordic Sea, Northwest Passage and high Arctic latitudes.
During this expedition, Xuelong will sail around the Arctic Ocean for the first time and test sail the Northwest Passage located along the Canadian coast in the Arctic Ocean.