S. Korea to christen its 1st icebreaker ship for polar exploration

SEOUL, Nov. 6 (Yonhap) -- South Korea was set to christen its first icebreaker ship Friday, a landmark event experts said would facilitate exploration and research efforts at the earth's poles.

The christening ceremony for the 7,487-ton Araon will be held at the western port
of Incheon later in the day with around 300 government officials, lawmakers and
polar researchers on hand, according to the Ministry of Land, Transport and
Maritime Affairs.
The icebreaker will first set sail on Dec. 19 for the Antarctic for a three-month
expedition, the ministry said. It is capable of sailing 37,000km without
replenishment of supplies or fuel for 70 days.
Construction of the vessel began in 2004, with a total investment of 108 billion
(US$92.2 million). The name Araon is a mixture of "ara" and "on," meaning "sea"
and "all" in Korean. The ministry said the name means "navigate all the seas in
the world."
Designed and built by local shipbuilders including Samsung Heavy Industries and
Hanjin Heavy Industries, the Araon will be mostly used to transport supplies to
the nation's research bases in polar regions. It will also help conduct research
and exploration as the nation prepares to build a second base in the Antarctic,
the ministry said.
"Of the 20 countries that have bases in the Antarctic, only two do not have their
own icebreakers. We have suffered many restrictions in conducting research
there," a ministry official said.
"Now we expect that the Araon will play a major role in helping us secure natural
resources, build a second research base in the Antarctic and find new navigation
routes in the Arctic Ocean," he added.
Since 1988, South Korea has been running the King Sejong Base in the Antarctic,
where 17 researchers are stationed for research and exploration efforts. It also
has a base in the Arctic which opened in 2002.
kokobj@yna.co.kr
(END)