Tianjin Maritime Search and Rescue Center organizes a special drill on ship collision in the Xingang Port Area in 2026.

To ensure solid waterway traffic safety in the jurisdiction, test the practical effectiveness of maritime rescue and pollution emergency plans, enhance multi-party emergency coordination capabilities, and improve real-world incident handling levels, on September 18, Tianjin Maritime Rescue Center organized a special exercise for ship collisions in the Xingang Port area in 2026, focusing on the theme "Prevent Collision Risks, Ensure Navigation Safety." The exercise invited representatives from local governments, port and shipping enterprises, and rescue volunteers to observe on-site. Members of the maritime emergency joint meeting system in the Xingang jurisdiction collaborated in the exercise, with over 100 participants involved.

Focus on Scenario Simulation and Build a Multi-Dimensional Coordination System

This exercise was jointly hosted by the Xingang Maritime Bureau and Tianjin Port First Stevedoring Co., Ltd. Based on the actual risks of the Xingang Port area, which serves as the core operational region of Tianjin Port with high ship traffic and prominent collision risks, the exercise simulated a multi-disaster maritime emergency. During the docking process of a bulk carrier, its main engine malfunctioned and, affected by sudden gusts, collided with a refueling ship conducting refueling operations, causing fuel oil to spill into the sea and injuries from people falling overboard. The exercise strictly adhered to real-world standards, fully replicating the entire process of alarm judgment, information reporting, plan activation, resource deployment, on-site handling, and rescue termination. It tested the practical implementation of multiple plans, including the "Tianjin Maritime Rescue Emergency Plan" and the "Tianjin Maritime Pollution Incident Emergency Plan," honing the collaborative handling capabilities of frontline maritime personnel, social rescue forces, and rescue volunteers.

Technology Empowers Emergency Response and Refines Comprehensive Handling Skills

The exercise mobilized 8 participating vessels, 1 Orca underwater robot, and over 10 maritime rescue volunteers. It fully utilized the platform role of the Xingang jurisdiction maritime emergency joint meeting system, coordinating with tugboat companies, professional pollution cleanup units, terminal enterprises, 120 medical emergency services, and technology service organizations. The exercise sequentially completed tasks such as rescuing people who fell overboard, transferring and treating injured personnel, emergency towing and monitoring of uncontrolled vessels, temporary traffic control in the incident area, issuing navigation warnings, containing and recovering oil spills on the sea surface, cleaning oil pollution on ship hulls, and conducting underwater inspections of ship hulls.

The exercise made full use of modern emergency equipment such as remote-controlled rescue wings, ship-mounted oil recovery machines, oil dispersant spraying devices, and underwater robots. The remote-controlled rescue wing quickly completed the search and rescue tasks for people who fell into shallow waters. Relying on underwater robots, underwater inspections of the two collided ships were conducted to verify the extent of underwater damage, empowering emergency handling with technology. Terminal enterprises simultaneously implemented emergency measures, promptly halting relevant operations in the port area, opening green channels at the terminal, and ensuring emergency supplies and personnel transfer. Through multi-party coordinated handling, the people who fell overboard were successfully rescued and transferred for medical treatment, all oil spills on the sea surface were cleared, the involved ships safely docked, and underwater inspections confirmed no damage below the waterline of the two ships. The incident was successfully resolved.

Deepen Joint Prevention and Control to Safeguard High-Quality Development

2026 marks the beginning of the "15th Five-Year Plan." Conducting maritime rescue emergency work is not only a critical line of defense for protecting lives, property, and marine ecological environment safety but also an important support for implementing major national strategies such as coordinated development in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and building a maritime power. Tianjin Maritime Rescue Center will take this real-world exercise as an important opportunity to conduct thorough reviews and evaluations, deeply analyze the exercise's effectiveness, and identify shortcomings. It will fully leverage the role of the Xingang jurisdiction maritime emergency joint meeting system as a link, continuously improving the multi-party emergency joint prevention and control mechanism between government and enterprises. By focusing on high-risk scenarios such as ship collisions in the port area, it will promote the normalization and real-world application of emergency exercises and drills. Efforts will continue to strengthen the maritime safety protection network of Tianjin Port, ensuring the safety of lives, property, and the marine ecological environment, and providing solid and reliable maritime safety support for coordinated development in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and high-quality integration of industry and city at Tianjin Port.