China dispatches new expedition to establish fifth station in Antarctica

China has dispatched a new Antarctic scientific expedition team consisting of over 450 personnel to build its fifth research station to firm up its presence in the icy and resource-rich southernmost continent. China's 40th Antarctic scientific expedition team set sail on Wednesday, starting a mission expected to last over five months.

The team will establish a new scientific research station along the coastal areas of the Ross Sea during this expedition, becoming China's fifth research station in Antarctica, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

The new station building will have a floor space of 5,244 square meters. It will be able to support 80 expedition team members during summers and 30 members during winters. The station will monitor and study the atmospheric and marine environment of Antarctica as well as the biological and ecological conditions there, the report said.


There are currently 70 permanent research stations scattered across the continent of Antarctica, which represent 29 countries from every continent on Earth, according to media reports.

The Indian Antarctic programme, which began in 1981, has completed 40 scientific expeditions and built three permanent research base stations in Antarctica -- Dakshin Gangotri (1983), Maitri (1988) and Bharati (2012).

Currently, Maitri and Bharati are fully operational.

The US has six stations and Australia has three.

China signed the Antarctic Treaty in 1983. The treaty designates the continent as a natural reserve and prohibits commercial resource extraction.