China will build an expedition vessel capable of conducting natural resource surveys in Antarctica.

According to the China Ocean News, China will build a new 10,000-tonne ice-class vessel which capable of breaking ice as thick as two metres. The vessel will also be equipped with laboratories to conduct marine environmental research.

In January, China established its first inland research station at the highest point of the Dome Argus polar ice cap. Now named the Kunlun Station, it is China’s third research facility on Antarctica.

China currently has one 1993-built polar expedition ship, ‘Xuelong’, meaning snow dragon.