Home>News Center>China
       
 

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.



 
  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
   
 
  Go to Another Section  
 
 
  Story Tools  
   
  News Talk  
  When will china have direct elections?  
Advertisement