Q&A: Professionals explain details of cruise ship rescue operation

Since the cruise ship tragedy, the public's attention has focused on the search and rescue operation. The Ministry of Transport said rescue professionals carefully considered every operation to make the best choices under the circumstances. Here are some frequently asked questions and the answers provided by professionals:

How was the underwater rescue method determined?

A: Major rescue work includes cutting, righting and diving searches. Salvage experts said the divers' underwater search and rescue was the most efficient immediate plan because cutting into and righting the ship needed more time to prepare, and rescuers had to wait for heavy lifting equipment to arrive. In addition, cutting into the ship and righting it could have harmed survivors.

Why was the righting and floating operation used to lift the ship?

A: Experts considered that the operation could help in the search of all cabins as quickly as possible and find missing people in the shortest possible time while preserving the dignity of the dead victims.

Why wasn't the ship righted earlier?

A: Wang Kewu, salvage expert and chief engineer of a mining engineering company, said that there were some rooms that still had air at the time the ship capsized. If the ship had been righted immediately, the chances of survival in those rooms would have been lowered. Wang Gang, the rescue director at the site, said survivors were sought for 72 hours after the ship capsized.

Why was the ship not cut into earlier?

A: Salvage experts said that before cutting, the rescuers had to confirm the survivors' location and the ship's structural integrity. Cutting into the ship blindly would not have helped find survivors and might even have caused fires and explosions if oil storage tanks had been cut.

Is 72 hours the prime time for rescue in water?

A: Salvage experts said that the definite time period of 72 hours might not be as suitable for water rescue as it is for ground rescue because people survive for less time in water because of hypothermia and suffocation.

China Daily