China's Xuelong 2 Guides French Tara Polar Station into Arctic Sea Ice

China's polar research icebreaker Xuelong 2 has guided the French drifting scientific platform Tara Polar Station through 110 nautical miles of sea ice in the central Arctic Ocean north of latitude 80 degrees North. According to state media reports, the 20-hour escort allowed the French vessel to anchor into a target ice floe and begin its inaugural overwinter drifting expedition. The joint operation, approved by China's Ministry of Natural Resources earlier this year, establishes a coordinated ice-tethered buoy network between Chinese and French researchers to monitor long-term Arctic sea ice dynamics.

The mission provides a rare demonstration of operational cooperation between Chinese and European scientific teams in the high Arctic. Beyond testing the heavy icebreaking and precision maneuvering capabilities of Xuelong 2 in extreme latitudes, the escort enabled the French station to deploy for long-term winter drifting observations that would otherwise be difficult to initiate independently. Coordinated buoy placement between the two teams will also expand continuous environmental data collection in a rapidly warming Arctic basin.

China's polar research icebreaker Xuelong 2 completed a 110-nautical-mile icebreaking escort for the French drifting research platform Tara Polar Station in the central Arctic Ocean, according to reports published by Xinhua and People's Daily. The operation, conducted north of latitude 80 degrees North, enabled the French platform to moor securely to a target floe to begin its first overwinter drifting research mission. Tara Polar Station is an unconventional vessel engineered specifically to drift with moving pack ice rather than navigate independently through thick floes. Because its self-propulsion and icebreaking capabilities are minimal, the platform requires heavy icebreaker assistance to access interior ice fields. Chinese and French authorities reached an initial understanding for the escort in 2025, and China's Ministry of Natural Resources formally incorporated the joint task into the itinerary of China's 16th Arctic scientific expedition earlier this year. The two vessels rendezvoused on the evening of September 8 in the Makarov Basin, where Xuelong 2 had been conducting oceanographic surveys. Navigating at speeds between 4 and 7 knots while maintaining an operational safety separation of roughly 300 meters, Xuelong 2 led the French platform along the designated ice route. After an escort lasting approximately 20 hours, both vessels reached the target ice floe on September 9. Following joint assessments of ice conditions, Xuelong 2 carved an entry channel extending more than 100 meters into the floe along a pre-agreed trajectory. Once crew members verified that the surrounding floe remained intact and uncracked, the Chinese icebreaker backed out of the channel, allowing the Tara Polar Station to maneuver into the cut and anchor firmly to the ice. Following the separation of the two vessels, the Chinese expedition team deployed ice-tethered observation buoys across several adjacent ice floes. The French platform is scheduled to place a complementary buoy on its host floe, establishing an integrated sensor array to conduct long-term monitoring of Arctic sea ice behavior. Wang Jinhui, leader of China's 16th Arctic expedition, stated that the joint operation demonstrated China's Arctic policy principles of respect, cooperation, mutual benefit, and sustainability, emphasizing Beijing's intent to contribute technical capabilities to international polar research.