China's icebreaker joins MH370 debris search

Chinese icebreaker Xuelong is moored at the western Australian port of Fremantle on March 21, 2014. Around 17:00 pm Beijing time, the long-serving Antarctic research vessel received orders from the head of the State Oceanic Administration of China to join the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370.(Xinhua/Zhou Dan)

China's oceanic administration on Friday said icebreaker Xuelong is heading for the southern Indian Ocean to search for wreckage from the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

Xuelong (Snow Dragon) was ordered to set out around 5 p.m. Beijing time from the Western Australian port of Fremantle, where it arrived to take on supplies on Friday morning.

It will take the icebreaker about four days to arrive at the search area in the southern Indian Ocean, more than 1,000 nautical miles from Fremantle, where satellites spotted possible MH370 debris on Thursday.