“雪龙”号是中国最大的极地考察船，也是中国唯一能在极地破冰前行的船只。雪龙船耐寒，能以1.5节航速连续冲破1.2米厚的冰层（含0.2米雪）。
　　2017年8月16日，中国第八次北极科学考察队结束在北冰洋公海区的最后一次CTD采样作业，“雪龙”船驶入挪威渔业保护区，行驶到南纬78°41′罗斯海水域。这是“雪龙”号在南半球到达的最高纬度，也刷新了全球科学考察船在南极海域到达的最南纪录。同时这也是我国考察队首次成功穿越北冰洋中央航道，并在该海域开展作业，填补了该区域的作业空白。2017年9月23日，“雪龙”号顺利完成中国首次环北冰洋考察，考察中共实施了7个海冰站位和49个海洋站位作业，开展了以海洋基础环境、海冰、生物多样性、海洋塑料垃圾等要素为重点的多学科综合调查，收集了丰富的冰芯、岩心及生物样品，获取了大量大气、海冰、海洋观测数据和影像资料，助推“冰上丝绸之路”建设。
　　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".