China's Xuelong (Snow Dragon) vessel, en route to Antarctica, has succeeded in avoiding a tropical storm east of the Philippines and is sailing at full speed toward its first supply port.

A tropical depression was spotted at 8:00 AM on Wednesday Beijing time which was centered 1,111.2 kilometers southeast of the "Snow Dragon" and moved in the northwest by west direction, said Meng Shang, a senior engineer of the National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center and a member of the Chinese expedition team.

The tropical depression was expected to strengthen into a tropical storm and was likely to encounter the Chinese icebreaker which was keeping a south-easterly course.

The vessel therefore adjusted its course at 16:00 PM on Wednesday, sailing south at 130 degrees east longitude in order to avoid the tropical storm.

As of 6:00 AM on Friday Beijing time, the icebreaker had been free from the tropical storm threat and returned to its original course, heading for New Zealand's Christchurch port, its first supply port.

Wang Jianzhong, captain of the Snow Dragon, said the ship was expected to arrive at the port on October 28, one day behind schedule, as it had to make a detour due to the unexpected tropical storm.

(Xinhua News Agency October 17, 2009)