Science vessel returns from Arctic

The Chinese icebreaker Xuelong, or Snow Dragon, docked in Shanghai on Tuesday after completing its eighth Arctic expedition, the Polar Research Institute of China announced.

The vessel traveled through the central and northwest shipping lanes along the Arctic rim for the first time, completing China's first circumnavigation of the top of the world.

The vessel departed from the exploration base in Shanghai on June 20 with 96 crew members. It traveled 20,000 nautical miles in 83 days, including 1,995 nautical miles through ice formations, according to the institute.