Thursday, August 23, 2012

雪龙 Xuelong heads for north pole

Xuelong to sail through future central route
Xue Long at dock in the ice-free port Akureyri in northern Iceland 

The Chinese icebreaker Xuelong 雪龙 (Snow Dragon) - having completed the northern passage  over the top of Russia - has left the northern Iceland port of Akureyri and is headed north - true north to the north pole. The website Arctic Portal reports that the Chinese expect that by 2020 global warming will make the straight line "central route" feasible for ice-hardened sea traffic.  You can follow the ship in real time HERE.