Chinese icebreakers unloading supplies for Antarctica expedition

China's 42nd Antarctic expedition team has started unloading supplies after arriving in waters near the Zhongshan Station, a Chinese research base in Antarctica.

Chinese icebreakers Xuelong and Xuelong 2 will deliver about 2,000 tons of supplies to the Station

for the expedition.

The Xuelong 2 arrived at a designated unloading spot about 12 kilometres from the Zhongshan Station.

The ship's helicopter then transported more than 300 tons of polar fuel in batches to the

research base when weather conditions were favourable.

The unloading operations are expected to finish within two weeks.

The expedition team includes more than 500 members from over 80 institutions on the Chinese mainland.

That's in addition to researchers from more than 10 other countries and regions, including Hong Kong and Macau.