BEIJING — Xiangyanghong 01, China’s elite science ship, began its journey around the world on Aug 28 on the country’s first maritime research that integrates oceanic and polar research.

Under the State Oceanic Administration (SOA), the research will focus on resources, the environment and climate in its six segments, and will mainly be conducted in the southern hemisphere, according to Li Tiegang, major researcher at the SOA.

In the fourth segment, Xiangyanghong 01 will join Xuelong, China’s ice breaker, in the country’s 34th Antarctic mission, Li said.

The voyage is significant for China to discover new growth points in a number of sciences, as well as to increase the influence of the country in terms of oceanographic research, said Lin Shanqing, deputy director of the SOA.

Starting in East China’s Qingdao, Xiangyanghong 01 will cover around 35,000 sea miles in its 260-day mission, and is scheduled to return to Qingdao on May 15, 2018.