Chinese nautical adventurer Zhai Mo successfully circles Arctic Ocean

(ECNS) -- Chinese nautical adventurer Zhai Mo finished the first-ever non-stop circumnavigation of the Arctic Ocean in human history after sailing more than 28,000 nautical miles (about 51,860 kilometers) in over 500 days.

Zhai gifted a souvenir to the China Maritime Museum at his welcoming ceremony on Tuesday morning and received a navigation popularization award from China Institute of Navigation.

Zhai, 53, set sail from Shanghai Port on June 30 last year and crossed the East China Sea, the Western Pacific, the Bering Strait, the Chukchi Sea, the East Siberian Sea, the Laptev Sea, the Kerala Sea, the Barents Sea, the Norwegian Sea, the Greenland Sea, the Davis Strait, the Gulf of Baffin to complete his adventure with two crew members.

The journey aims to bring attention to environmental protection in the Arctic, according to Xinhua.

The challenge was sponsored by the China Institute of Navigation and the China International Cultural Exchange Center.