MV Xue Long 2 is a Chinese icebreaking research vessel that entered service in 2019. She follows the naming of, China's first polar research vessel.
The 5 million euro[1] design contract for China's first domestically-built polar research vessel was signed in 2012 with the Finnish engineering company Aker Arctic, though construction did not begin until December 2016.[2] She was built at Jiangnan Shipyard.[2]
Xue Long 2 now in service both as a supply vessel for China's research facilities in the Arctic and Antarctic regions and as a research vessel, with capabilities for geological and biological experimentation and surveying.[3]
Xue Long 2 measures 122.5m (401.9feet) long, with a beam of 22.3m (73.2feet) and a draft of 8.3m (27.2feet) at full load.[3] She has a displacement of 14,300 tonnes.[3] She has a diesel-electric propulsion system, with two 8-cylinder and two 12-cylinder engines, both Wärtsilä 32-series designs, powering two 7.5 MW Azipod propulsion units that give her a speed of up to in open water and when breaking ice. Her ice class is Polar Class 3 and she is able to break ice up to 1.5m (04.9feet) thick while traveling either ahead or astern.