China is accelerating the construction of a next-generation high-performance research icebreaker, signaling its growing ambitions in polar research and a significant expansion of its capabilities to explore Antarctica. According to Wu Gang, a senior designer at the Marine Design and Research Institute of China, the development underscores China’s rapid expansion in polar research – an area traditionally dominated by countries such as Russia, Canada and the United States.

In conversation with China DailyWu confirmed that the Chinese government has allocated significant funds to the project, which is now in the final stages of research and development. “The new icebreaker will be able to break through ice more than two meters thick and will run on environmentally friendly fuels, so no pollutants will be produced during its operation,” Wu explained. The vessel is designed for long-term missions in the most challenging polar environments, significantly increasing China’s capacity to conduct year-round scientific research in these remote regions.

This announcement comes as China continues to expand its fleet of Arctic-capable vessels at a remarkable pace. This summer alone, China has sent three icebreakers to the Arctic, a feat that underscores the country’s rapidly growing polar ambitions. These vessels include the Xue Long 2, China’s most advanced icebreaking vessel, which has been conducting an expedition in the Arctic Ocean for months. In addition, the smaller vessel Zhong Shan Da Xue Ji Di, operated by Sun Yat-sen University, and the newly commissioned vessel Ji Di also ply the icy waters north of Alaska.

The contrast between China’s progress and the US’s problems in the Arctic could not be greater. The US Coast Guard, once a dominant force in the region, has suffered severe setbacks with its icebreaker fleet. The Polar Star, the US’s only operational heavy icebreaker, is still in dry dock, while the Healy, another key vessel, was forced to abandon its Arctic mission after a fire last month. The Coast Guard is also considering purchasing the available commercial icebreaker. Aiviqas a stopgap measure. Congress has allocated $125 million in funding, but no concrete steps have been announced.

With the US unable to maintain a surface presence in the Arctic for the rest of the year, China’s progress is all the more remarkable. This situation becomes even more worrying after Russia recently commissioned a new “combat icebreaker.”

The United States is not the only Arctic nation to suffer serious setbacks. Canada’s icebreaker fleet, once a source of national pride, has become emblematic of the country’s efforts to meet its commitments in the rapidly changing Arctic landscape. With an aging fleet and years of delays to its heavy icebreaker program – which gCaptain first reported on in 2012 – Canada has fallen far behind on its NATO commitments, particularly in maintaining a credible presence in the far north. Construction of new vessels has been plagued by delays and budget overruns, leaving Canada with only a handful of new midsize icebreakers – not enough to patrol its 100,000 miles of Arctic coastline.

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by Malte Humpert

What is remarkable is the speed with which China has built up its icebreaker fleet. Construction of the Ji Di and the soon-to-be-commissioned Tan Suo San Hao was completed in just two years, a stark contrast to the long schedule of the US Polar Security Cutter project, which may not see the first vessel completed until the 2030s.

This is not surprising considering that, according to expert estimates, China 200 times the shipbuilding capacity of the United States.

Wu Gang stressed that the new icebreaker, once completed, will represent a significant expansion of China’s polar research capabilities. “With this ship, we can reach any part of the polar regions and stay as long as we need,” he said, stressing the strategic importance of the new ship.

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