Beijing Ocean Leader, an unofficial scientific research vessel, received comprehensive maritime services at a dock in Putuo district, Zhoushan, East China's Zhejiang province and set sail to Antarctica on Jan 16.

The services, which were worth over 23 million yuan ($3.3 million), included ship maintenance, bunker oil refill, and material supplies, among other things.

Beijing Ocean Leader, an icebreaker currently registered in Liberia, was built by a Japanese company in 1982 and was bought by a Chinese couple – Zhang Xinyu and Liang Hong – in 2018 to serve as a scientific research vessel at an unofficial research group, the first of its kind in China.

The Antarctic expedition is a joint effort between the research group and a Beijing-based polar research center, which was established by 25 universities and research organizations, in an effort to carry out scientific expeditions in Antarctica.

Before the vessel departed, police officers from the exit and entry frontier inspection station of Zhoushan inspected the vessel and brought gifts such as lanterns, Chinese knots, and calligraphy works to its crew in celebration of the upcoming Spring Festival.

"Since the Spring Festival is approaching, we wanted to create festive atmosphere on the vessel for its crew," said Ruan Rongyu, a police officer at the inspection station.

"We are very satisfied with the business environment in Zhoushan. Maritime service enterprises and relevant government departments have provided high-quality, efficient services to us," said Liu Yanwu, the general agency of the vessel.

In Dec 2019, Zhoushan started to provide comprehensive maritime services in a bid to save time and money for ships that pass by the city, said local authorities.

According to official data, the archipelago-based prefecture-level city has abundant coastal resources and can receive over 100,000 international navigation ships each year.