12 December 2016, 14:53 GMT
BEIJING (Sputnik) — According to the Shanghai Daily newspaper, the ship numbered H2560 is expected to set off for the first Arctic expedition in 2019. The length of the new icebreaker will be some 400 feet, width is planned to reach some 70 feet while the displacement will amount to 13,990 tonnes, it will be able to break ice of up to five feet thick.
In July, media reported that the vessel's construction budget would amount to some $153 million.
At the moment, China has a Xuelong, or Dragon Snow icebreaker which was purchased from Ukraine in 1993 and subsequently renovated. It has since completed some 40 research missions.
China began to conduct Arctic research expeditions since 1999.
