Research starts on advanced icebreaker

Chinese scientists have begun preliminary research on a next-generation icebreaker capable of lengthy research missions in the Arctic and Antarctica, according to the program's chief designer.

"The new type will be much stronger when it comes to capabilities in breaking ice and resisting extreme cold," Wu Gang, from the Marine Design and Research Institute of China in Shanghai, told China Daily in an exclusive interview.

"It will be able to break ice about 3 meters thick and withstand -45 C, which means it can stay for a long time in polar regions," he said.