China held a maritime rescue drill in the Bohai Sea near Yantai in east China's Shandong Province on Tuesday.

The move was aimed at improving rescuers' ability to handle accidents at sea, said Zhi Guanglu, deputy head of the country's maritime rescue center.

The drill involved a collision scenario between a large passenger ship with about 500 passengers aboard and another ship.

It was the largest drill of its kind ever held in China, Zhi said.

The drill involved 900 participants, along with 22 naval vessels and two helicopters. It was sponsored by the Ministry of Transport and the provincial government of Shandong.