Maritime rescue takes action

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-09-04 12:06

Ships set on to take the maritime rescue excercise in the designated area of the East China Sea, September 4, 2009. [Xinhua]

NINGBO: China's maritime rescue services staged their biggest ever exercise in the East China Sea Friday to test the country's maritime rescue capabilities and security for the Shanghai World Expo in 2010.

The exercise, being jointly held by the Ministry of Transport and east China's Zhejiang Province, involved 35 ships, three aircraft and more than 1,000 personnel, said He Yipei, deputy general director of the exercise and deputy director of the Zhejiang Maritime Safety Administration.

The exercise began at 9 a.m. off the coast of Ningbo and was scheduled to last about 90 minutes, He said.

The exercise simulated a collision between a passenger ship and a cargo vessel loaded with chemicals, resulting in a fire on the passenger ship and a benzene leak, He said.

Rescuers will transfer the people in danger, treat those overcome by fumes, control the chemical leakage, search for people in the water, put out the fire and evacuate 16,000 people living along the coast in the area of the exercise.