An array of advanced marine equipment will be put on display at the State Pavilion of the 2017 China Marine Economy Expo, to showcase the advances and achievements of the nation's marine science and technology.

The expo, which has been held annually over the past six years, is the only national comprehensive marine economy expo in China. Hosted in Zhanjiang from Dec 14 to 17, the event is expected to welcome more than 3,000 exhibitors and over 300,000 visitors this year.

As a supplement to the Industry Pavilion, the State Pavilion, which is under the charge of State Oceanic Administration, will give visitors a close-up look at national marine equipment such as icebreakers, oceanographic research ships and unmanned aerial vehicles.

Here are some showpieces:

Xue Long

Built in 1993 at Kherson Shipyard in Ukraine, Icebreaker Xue Long, also known as Snow Dragon, is a third-generation icebreaking vessel in China used to support scientific research in polar regions.

Xue Long is 167 meters long and 22.6 meters wide. When loaded to a draught of 9 meters, it has a displacement of 21,025 tons and a maximum endurance of 12,000 nautical miles. Designed with incredible cold tolerance, it can achieve a maximum speed of 18 knots (33 kph) in open water, and advance at 1.5 knots (2.8 kph) when confronted with 1.2 meters of ice.

In addition to its icebreaking capability, it has support facilities and accommodation for scientific personnel, and a cargo capacity for supplying research stations. Equipped with navigational instruments and weather observation equipment, it can provide all-round services for scientific research, while accommodating 128 researchers or passengers on board.