Xuelong, or Snow Dragon, is China's icebreaker. During the country's 30th Antarctic expedition, the ship carried out major scientific research that included setting up a fourth Chinese research base in the South Pole.

The vessel also rescued 52 passengers stranded on a Russian research ship in Antarctica earlier this year and hunted for signs of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 in the southern Indian Ocean in March.

Xuelong's latest expedition lasted 159 days, covering 32,000 sea miles.

(China Daily Africa Weekly 04/18/2014 page31)