China's ice breaker Xuelong sets sail on Arctic rim expedition

China's ice breaker, the Xuelong, set sail on Thursday on the country's first circumnavigation of the Arctic rim, scientists have announced.

The vessel departed from a base in Shanghai on Thursday, at the beginning of China's eighth Arctic expedition.

Lin Shanqing, deputy director of the State Oceanic Administration, said the expedition is another milestone in the country's polar exploration efforts.

China's ice breaker, the Xuelong, set sail for the country's first circumnavigation of the Arctic rim on July 20, 2017.

"Usually, Arctic expeditions are carried out once every two years. Starting this year, we plan to increase the frequency of expeditions," said Lin.

The ship will travel 20,000 nautical miles in 83 days, with 96 crew members on board.

Captain Shen Quan said that the Xuelong - which means Snow Dragon - will travel the northwest shipping lane along the Arctic rim for the first time.

The route has more ice than the northeast shipping lane.

Researchers will study navigation, marine bio-diversity, hydrology, biology, geology, chemistry and pollution in the region.

The Ukraine-built vessel, which was put into use in 1994, is mainly designed to transport supplies to China's research stations.

It can break ice up to 1.2 meters thick.

China has focused on cooperation and sharing information in polar research.

The Chinese National Arctic and Antarctic Data Center has provided data for more than 100 international projects and more than 10 countries.