China's first domestically made icebreaker, Xuelong 2, which has just successfully concluded the country's 40th Antarctic expedition, has returned to Shanghai after a five-day visit to Hong Kong. Another icebreaking vessel on the polar scientific research mission, Xuelong, also docked at its home base in Shanghai the day before.

After Xuelong 2 berthed at the terminal, immigration officers boarded the ship to handle border inspection procedures for more than 50 members of the expedition team and crew. The expedition – supported by Xuelong, Xuelong 2 and cargo ship Tianhui – traveled more than 81,000 nautical miles in five months, and successfully completed all the investigation tasks.