Data Map
Chinese vessel to travel the Northern Sea Route
The Xuelong successfully became the first Chinese vessel to pass through the Northern Sea Route (NSR) on the 2nd of August.
The trip through the NSR, from the East Siberian Sea and out of the Barents Sea, took 10 days and ice conditions were sometimes heavy, especially in the Chukchi and East Siberian Seas.
However, vast parts of NSR were ice-free and the overall accessibility of the route was promising for the future outlook of commercial Arctic shipping between Europe and Asia.
Having arrived in the Norwegian Sea CHINARE 5 resumed its scientific investigations, with Xuelong conducting research in the Atlantic Arctic Ocean for the very first time.
On the 4th of August CHINARE 5 released a buoy in the Norwegian Sea (approx. 70°N5°E) for marine monitoring and weather forecasting.
The buoy, which weights 15 and a half tons and is 15 meters high and 6 diameters, has a 3800-meter long cable with 20 sensors and runs on a double engine of wind and solar power.
It is the first large scale marine monitoring buoy China places in the Arctic region and is capable of providing real time interaction data.
The Chinese State Oceanic Administration supported the project and China Marine Forecasting Center, China Ocean University and China Marine Research Institute (which is attached to the Science Institute of Shandong Province) jointly developed the technology for the buoy.
The buoy's research data will be made available internationally, through the CHINARE data center hosted by the Polar Research Institute of China.
CHINARE 5 is currently preparing for its visit to Iceland between the 16th and 20th of August, which will be the first time Xuelong officially visits an Arctic state.
