“雪龍”號是中國最大的極地考察船，也是中國唯一能在極地破冰前行的船只。雪龍船耐寒，能以1.5節(jié)航速連續(xù)沖破1.2米厚的冰層（含0.2米雪）。
　　2017年8月16日，中國第八次北極科學考察隊結束在北冰洋公海區(qū)的最后一次CTD采樣作業(yè)，“雪龍”船駛入挪威漁業(yè)保護區(qū)，行駛到南緯78°41′羅斯海水域。這是“雪龍”號在南半球到達的最高緯度，也刷新了全球科學考察船在南極海域到達的最南紀錄。同時這也是我國考察隊首次成功穿越北冰洋中央航道，并在該海域開展作業(yè)，填補了該區(qū)域的作業(yè)空白。2017年9月23日，“雪龍”號順利完成中國首次環(huán)北冰洋考察，考察中共實施了7個海冰站位和49個海洋站位作業(yè)，開展了以海洋基礎環(huán)境、海冰、生物多樣性、海洋塑料垃圾等要素為重點的多學科綜合調(diào)查，收集了豐富的冰芯、巖心及生物樣品，獲取了大量大氣、海冰、海洋觀測數(shù)據(jù)和影像資料，助推“冰上絲綢之路”建設。
　　The Snow Dragon Polar Survey
　　The Xue long is China's largest polar expedition ship and the only vessel in China that can break ice in the polar regions. The ship is cold resistant and can break through 1.2 meters of ice at a 1.5 knots speed (containing 0.2 meters of snow).
　　In August 16th 2017, China's 8th Arctic scientific expedition completed its last CTD sampling operation in the Arctic Ocean's high seas area, and the "Snow Dragon" vessel sailed into the Norwegian Fisheries Reserve. Heading to the waters of the Ross Sea at 78 degrees 41'S. This is the highest latitude the Snow Dragon has reached in the Southern Hemisphere, It also set a new record for the most southern reaches of the global scientific research vessel in the Antarctic Sea. Meanwhile, this is the first time that the Chinese expedition team has successfully crossed the central waterway of the Arctic Ocean and started operations in the sea area. In September 23rd 2017, the Snow Dragon successfully completed its first exploration of the Arctic Ocean around China. A total of 7 sea ice stations and 49 ocean stations were carried out, and a multidisciplinary comprehensive survey focusing on marine basic environment, sea ice, biodiversity and marine plastic litter was carried out, and abundant ice cores were collected. The core and biological samples obtained a large amount of atmospheric, sea ice, ocean observation data and image data, which contributed to the construction of the "Silk Road on Ice".