China's Xuelong 2 icebreaker has reached waters off Zhongshan Station and begun icebreaking operations as part of the country’s 42nd Antarctic expedition, a 19-month mission advancing major scientific research and international collaboration in polar conditions.
The Xuelong, which completed resupply in Hobart, Australia, has crossed the westerlies and is sailing toward the station. It is expected to reach waters about 60 km from Zhongshan Station on Dec. 1.
"The two vessels are carrying about 2,000 tons of supplies for the Antarctic Zhongshan Station. Over the next two weeks, depending on ice conditions, we'll be unloading the cargo using both sea-ice vehicles and helicopter sling operations," said Wei Fuhai, Leader of China's 42nd Antarctic Expedition.
The expedition, supported by both the Xuelong and Xuelong 2, will conduct multi-disciplinary scientific surveys, advance several major national research projects, and test domestically developed equipment under polar conditions.
China's 42nd Antarctic expedition team set sail from Shanghai on Nov. 1 for a 19-month scientific mission, which is expected to conclude in May 2026 when both vessels return to China.
The expedition includes more than 500 members from over 80 institutions on the Chinese mainland, along with researchers from more than 10 countries and regions, such as Thailand, Chile and Portugal, as well as China's Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, in support of broader international scientific collaboration.
China’s Xuelong 2 icebreaker reaches waters near Zhongshan Station
The price of aluminum, a key industrial metal used in automotive manufacturing, construction and packaging, has been climbing as production cuts in the Gulf region, logistical constraints and Iranian attacks on two regional producers over the weekend tightened supply.
On March 31, the benchmark London Metal Exchange (LME) three-month price for aluminum rose to 3,535 U.S. dollars per metric ton, a year-on-year increase of around 40 percent.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Sunday that they launched missile and drone strikes on aluminum plants in Bahrain and the UAE that are linked to the U.S. military and aerospace industries, in retaliation for U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iranian steel factories.
Emirates Global Aluminium issued a statement saying that its Al Taweela site in the Khalifa Economic Zone in Abu Dhabi was severely damaged after Iranian strikes, with some employees injured.
Aluminum Bahrain confirmed in a statement on Sunday that some of its facilities were struck by Iranian attacks, resulting in injuries to two employees.
The two aluminum plants have a combined annual output of 3.2 million tons, more than half of the approximately 6 million tons of aluminum produced every year by Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states.
The region is a key source of aluminum supply, accounting for about 9 percent of global production.
Goldman Sachs on Tuesday raised its LME aluminum price forecast from 3,200 U.S. dollars to 3,450 U.S. dollars per ton for the second quarter of 2026 after the attacks on the facilities.
Goldman Sachs also predicted a global primary aluminum market supply deficit of 570,000 tons in 2026, a sharp turnaround from its previous forecast of a 550,000-ton surplus.
Analysts point out that the aluminum market is currently facing multiple shocks, with shipping in the Strait of Hormuz disrupted, aluminum production facilities in the Gulf damaged or even shut down, and production in other parts of the world currently limited.
The impact will also spread to downstream enterprises in the coming months, with higher-cost aluminum alloys, primarily used in the aerospace, automotive, and construction industries, facing the most constrained supply, analysts said.
The Gulf region has long been a significant source of these high-end products, particularly for the European market, and also supplies manufacturers in the United States.
Aluminum prices climb as effects of Middle East tensions spread through global economy
