A few months ago, the Chinese icebreaker MV Xue Long was charging deep into the East Antarctic to free a team of Australian researchers trapped in an ice flow.

两个月前，中国破冰船“雪龙号”曾受命深入南极洲东部地带解救澳大利亚一只被困在冰流中的科考队。

Now, barely two months later, the ship has again answered the call for aid, although this time in a far grimmer situation.

现在这艘破冰船又接获了新的救援任务，然而这次的情况比上次要艰难得多。

The vessel, equipped with four 25-tonne cranes and a rescue helicopter that can search the seas for more than four hours, is rushing to join an Australian-led effort to pinpoint debris that may be the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, spotted on March 16 in a remote section of the Southern Indian Ocean by a DigitalGlobe satellite.

“雪龙号”体长548英尺（约合167米），装配有四台25吨吊车和一架能在海面上持续搜索四个多小时的救援直升机。它将前往参与澳大利亚领导的搜寻工作，寻找DigitalGlobe一颗卫星3月16日在南印度洋一个偏远海域发现的可能是马来西亚航空(Malaysia Airlines)失联370航班残骸的碎片。

On Friday, Fremantle port in Perth, Western Australia, was the site of frenetic trade as the 548-foot ship and its crew stocked up for the journey ahead.

周五，在西澳大利亚州首府珀斯的弗里曼特尔港，“雪龙号”及船上人员从这里整装待发。

Some of the cargo included gifts to take back to China, such as luxury lambs skins and cuddly koala toys, as well as essentials like burpless cucumbers and olive oil, brought to the dock by traders in minivans.

船上的货物包括要带回中国的礼物，比如昂贵的羔羊皮、可爱的考拉玩具，还有黄瓜和橄榄油等一些必需品，都是由贸易商们用小型货车拉到码头来的。

Five-dozen cases of Australian Penfolds Bin 128 Shiraz were loaded on board, as well as bottles of Rawsons Retreat Semillon Savignon Blanc and cheaper four-liter casks of Shiraz-Cabernet-Merlot.

60箱澳大利亚奔富Bin 128设拉子葡萄酒已经装船，还有一些洛神山庄赛美蓉长相思白葡萄酒和价格相对较低的四升桶装设拉子-赤霞珠-梅洛混酿葡萄酒。

Others from the ship, like an electrical engineer who introduced himself only as Xiao, dashed to a supermarket in the nearby bohemian village of Fremantle to stock up on Aptamil and Bellamy's organic baby formula -- milk powder often referred to as 'white gold' among Chinese visitors. The formula can be sold at triple the price back in China.

船上一位自称姓肖（音）的电气工程师冲进波西米亚村弗里曼特尔附近的一家超市，买了一堆Aptamil和Bellamy有机婴儿配方奶粉，中国游客经常把这些奶粉成为“白黄金”。这些牌子的奶粉在中国的售价要比这个贵两倍。

The crew was headed home from Antarctica when they received orders from their superiors Wednesday night to head back south to look for the debris suspected to be part of the Malaysia Airlines plane that has been missing for nearly two weeks, Xiao said.

周三晚间收到上级命令时，船员们正从南极折返回家。肖说，上级命令他们返回南边寻找已经失踪将近两周的马来西亚航空客机的疑似碎片。

Bang Zhao Pan, a local Chinese-Australian trader who was on the docks selling food, said normally the crew comes to port for five days or a week, 'but this time they come for half a day.'

潘邦照（音）是当地一名华裔澳大利亚贸易商，他在码头上出售食品。潘邦照说，正常情况下船员们会在码头待上五天或一周，但这次他们只待了半天。

He said the ship usually ordered goods in advance by satellite phone, but had only got in touch with him at 9 a.m. on Friday morning with orders that the ship be stocked by 3 p.m.

潘邦照说，“雪龙号”一般通过卫星电话提前预定商品，但这一次船员们周五早上九点才联系他，要求所需商品在下午三点前装船完毕。

A local researcher from Australia's national science agency, had rushed to the dock just to see friends on the boat who he said were 'very delighted' to be on the mission.

澳大利亚国家科学机构在当地的一名研究人员急匆匆地赶到码头，去看望他在船上的朋友们，他说，这些人很高兴能执行这次任务。

'I believe the ship is representative of China,' said the researcher.

这名研究人员说，他相信这条船代表着中国。

The MV Xue Long, or Snow Dragon, must sail more than 1,200 nautical miles to reach the search area. Even at a top speed of 18 knots, it's likely to take around four days for the ship to cover that distance.

“雪龙号”必须要航行1,200多海里才能到达搜索区域。即使以18节的最高速度航行，可能也需要大约四天的时间才能航行这么长的距离。

It is, however, an unmistakable recovery vessel, cumbersome but capable of retrieving large and heavy objects with its vast mid-deck and four huge cranes that can each reach out 22 meters beyond the deck and lift objects weighing up to 25 tonnes.

不过，“雪龙号”毫无疑问是一条搜救船，虽然笨重，但能够打捞体积大、重量沉的物体，中甲板的面积巨大，四条巨大的起重臂能伸出甲板22米，吊起重达25吨的物体。

When it gets to its destination, it's likely to deploy its Russian Kamov Ka-32 helicopter to search the treacherous seas for debris. The helicopter, according to Kamov's local sales representative, Roger Jardine Clark, can winch objects weighing up to 250 kilograms, and tow up to 5000 kg if those objects are attached securely to the aircraft by divers.

“雪龙号”到达目的地后，可能会动用船上的俄制卡莫夫Ka-32直升机在相关海域搜索飞机残骸。卡莫夫在当地的销售代表克拉克(Roger Jardine Clark)表示，这架直升机能绞拉重达250公斤的物体，拖动5,000公斤的物体，如果有潜水员把物体牢靠地连在直升机上的话。

'We're really very proud of them,' said Mr. Bang, the trader.

贸易商潘邦照说：“我们真的为他们感到骄傲”。

Though for Xiao, the prospect of a recovery mission that could take weeks meant more time at sea after months in the Antarctic.

不过对那位姓肖的工程师来说，可能持续数周的搜索任务意味着在南极过了几个月后又要在海上再待上一段时间了。