Joint maritime rescue drill staged in South China Sea
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2004-06-26 15:03

China's maritime safety authorities staged a joint maritime search-and-rescue exercise Saturday in water off Sanya, a city in the southernmost island province of Hainan.

The drill, the first massive maritime exercise between China's mainland and the Hong Kong special administrative region, involved two planes, 29 ships and 400-plus staffers.

Programs of the drill included search-and-rescue at sea, emergency response to oil leakage, fire fighting at sea and anti- terrorism, said Ouyang Baokui, director of the Hainan provincial maritime safety administration.

The drill started at 9:00 am with a simulated collision between two cargo ships in the South China Sea, which sank one ship and caused the other to catch fire and leak 50 tons of oil.

The drill was designed to enhance China's capabilities for search and rescue, and improve emergency response competence in the South China Sea, said Ouyang.

The South China Sea, a major sea channel for international cargo transport, sees frequent accidents from both home and overseas. China is designated by the International Maritime Organization for undertaking search and rescue missions in this water, according to Liu Gongchen, vice director of China's Maritime Safety Administration.

"Implementation of China's commitment is conducive to its own economic development and its international prestige," Liu said.

The exercise is the fifth organized by China's Ministry of Communications and China maritime search and rescue center since 2000. The previous four were held respectively in the estuaries of the Pearl River and the Yangtze River, and waters off the Yellow Sea and Bohai Bay.

Close

Today's Top News     Top China News
Fire caused by lightning rages in northern forests         S. Korea probe into Iraq hostage death         Dozens of drug dealers executed in China         US arms sales to Taiwan sparks tension         Israel deputy PM visits grandpa's Harbin grave         China has a surplus of poor-quality MBA	Illegal land development zones cut       SMEs board performing well       Reservoir flow to save waterfowl       China has a surplus of poor-quality MBA       Cultural diversity to be stressed at Shanghai Expo       Six parties take nuclear freeze as first step