Ji Di

Ji Di is a Chinese icebreaking research vessel built in 2024 for the State Oceanic Administration North Sea Branch.

, Guangzhou Shipyard International is building a slightly bigger Polar Class 4 research vessel, Tan Suo San Hao, at the same time.

Design
Ji Di is 89.95 m long overall and has a beam of 17.8 m and draft of 5.5 m. The 5600 t vessel has accommodation for 60 persons, operational range of 14000 nmi, and can remain at sea for 80 days.

Ji Di has a diesel-electric propulsion system with four main diesel generators and two 3.2 MW ABB Azipod azimuth thrusters. The ship's speed in open water is 15 kn and it can break 1 m level ice at a speed of 1.5 to 2 kn.

Ji Di is built to Polar Class 6, the second-lowest ice class defined in the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) Unified Requirements for Polar Class Ships, which is intended for summer and autumn operation in medium first-year ice between 70 and 120 cm in thickness that may contain small inclusions of old sea ice that has survived at least one summer without melting completely.

History
The ship's construction was awarded to Guangzhou Shipyard International, a subsidiary of the China State Shipbuilding Corporation, in March 2022 and the construction began shortly afterwards. It was floated out on 29 December 2023 and completed on 22 May 2024.

Ji Di, Chinese for "polar", entered service with the State Oceanic Administration North Sea Branch on 24 June 2024.