At 10:30 on the morning of August 31, with the lifting of three red signal flares,
the "2018 Tianjin Maritime Emergency Comprehensive Emergency Drill was kicked
off in the Nanjiang waters of Tianjin. It is reported that this drill is the largest and
most advanced maritime search and rescue drill by Tianjin City, with more than
220 participants.
The drill was hosted by Tianjin Maritime Search and Rescue Center, coorganized by
the Nanjiang Maritime Bureau, and 15 units including Tianjin Maritime Safety Administration,
Beihai Rescue Bureau, Tianjin Meteorological Bureau, Tianjin Port Public Security, and
Tianjin Port Hospital participated in this drill. The drill was dispatched 24 ships and
2 helicopters, 2 drones, 6 professional vehicles and search and rescue volunteers, including
passenger ships, oil tankers, official boats, professional rescue boats, professional cleaning
ships and fire boats. The drill was simulated that the passenger ship "Tianren" collided with
the tanker "Lianan Lake" in the waters of Tianjin, causing personnel to fall into the water,
ship fire, oil leakage, and marine pollution. During the one-hour period, the participants
and the ship completed the exercises for personnel rescue, passenger evacuation, ship fire,
emergency plugging, medical rescue, pollution monitoring, and emergency clearing by using
oil booms and oil absorbent pads.
The drill was full of science and technology. The HY-16T fixed-wing high-performance maritime
drone has played an outstanding role in the search for water users and pollution monitoring,
which was developed by Tianjin Maritime Bureau and the enterprise. According to reports,
the maritime drone is equipped with advanced visible and uncooled infrared dual-light pods,
which can meet the night or foggy weather, it can also achieve 80 km over-the-horizon flight,
and can capture the video of the pod, and the screen is transmitted to the command
department in real time, featuring fast response and wide search range.
In addition to the drone, the drill also released underwater robots for underwater exploration
to confirm whether there are other oil spills below the hull waterline. The relevant person in
charge of the Tianjin Maritime Bureau said that the main function of the underwater robot is
to replace underwater personnel in underwater navigation, safety monitoring, emergency
disposal, and simple maintenance in a harsh marine environment or underwater locations that
are difficult for personnel to reach. At present, the most advanced underwater robot can
achieve a diving time of 6 months and a diving depth of 1000 meters.
Huang Haibo, deputy director of Tianjin Maritime Bureau and deputy director of Tianjin Maritime
Search and Rescue Center, said that the drill was focused on the collaborative combat capability
and emergency response efficiency of Tianjin maritime search and rescue units and search and
rescue forces in dealing with complex maritime emergencies. It is of great significance to
safeguarding the safety of people's property in the waters of the jurisdiction and the marine
environment, supporting and serving the national development strategy, and further enhancing
Tianjin's ability to respond to major maritime emergencies.