The Chinese polar research icebreaker Xuelong, also known as the Snow Dragon, docked at Hobart Port in Australia on Saturday, ready for its next task.
The operations are a part of China's 42nd Antarctic expedition.
The Xuelong ocean team, consisting of 31 members from 12 domestic research institutes and universities, left the port and flew back to China on Sunday.
The Xuelong is scheduled to depart for China's Zhongshan Station in Antarctica on Monday to carry out additional tasks.
Before leaving, the team checked all the scientific research samples obtained from ocean operations.
"The samples, including mid-water fish and benthos, were caught by bongo net, bow net and vertical net, covering all trophic levels. So, the samples are large in number and diverse in variety," said Sun Jiewei, an administrator of sample quality and data.
The samples will be brought back to China for further analysis and research.
China's 42nd Antarctic expedition, organized by the Ministry of Natural Resources, departed from Shanghai on Nov 1, 2025. During this expedition, a series of novel equipment and technologies are scheduled to be deployed and tested on the continent.
China's polar icebreaker Xuelong docks at Hobart Port for next task
