The "Snow Dragon" arrived at Qinling Station and began to unload cargo, including Qinling Station logistics support materials, engineering materials, etc.

CCTV reported,The "Snow Dragon" polar scientific research icebreaker carrying out China's 42nd Antarctic expedition mission successfully arrived in the waters where Qinling Station is located on the 29th, Beijing time, and immediately began unloading operations.According to Wei Fuhai, the leader of the expedition team,The total weight of the materials planned to be unloaded this time is about 1,400 tons, including logistics support materials, engineering building materials, scientific research equipment and oil, etc., which will be transferred to the station by barge.The entire unloading process is expected to last about 5 days, during which some materials and station waste will be transported back to the country depending on the situation. On-site engineering operations will be carried out in parallel with unloading.

The Qinling Station is the fifth research station built by China in Antarctica. It was officially opened on February 7, 2024, filling the gap in my country's research in the Ross Sea region. The station has a total construction area of ​​5,244 square meters. It is currently the largest single building among China's Antarctic expedition stations and can accommodate 80 expedition team members for permanent work.

In addition to unloading cargo, the expedition team will also simultaneously carry out a number of scientific research tasks, including using helicopters to conduct aerial photography around the station area, and relying on the "Snow Dragon" to conduct marine environmental surveys.

This 42nd Antarctic expedition is organized by the Ministry of Natural Resources. One of the key tasks is to further improve the Qinling Station’s scientific research building, communication network and other supporting facilities, and comprehensively enhance its operation guarantee and scientific research support capabilities.