The sea is still a dangerous workplace

TO THE extent that most of the population is aware of the shipping industry, it is in terms of high technology container shipping and generally well-run cruise ships.

And it is certainly true that technology, together with more effective safety regulation, has made shipping safer, a lot safer.

So how could anything possibly go wrong? The answer to that is just two words: “the sea”.

The sea remains the hostile environment it has always been. And it still claims its victims.

Just under a year ago, 30 miles north-east of Zhifu Bay in northern China, the cargo ship Tian Feng 369 was caught in bad weather and heavy seas, flooded and began to sink.

It so happened that the tanker Jian Qiao 502, was nearby, sailing to Dongguan. She immediately changed course to assist the vessel in distress. After searching for survivors for one and a half hours, chief officer Xu Bo spotted two survivors on a life raft which was filled with water and was drifting. The Jian Qiao 502 headed towards the raft, but the crew soon realised the two survivors were too weak to tie a rope securely around themselves.

Without hesitating, Xu jumped into the freezing waters and swam with difficulty towards the raft, battling high waves and strong currents. After several attempts he reached the raft, hauled himself onto it and secured rescue ropes to both survivors. With the help of other crew members on board the Jian Qiao 502, they were then successfully transferred to the deck of the tanker.

Back on board his ship, the chief officer promptly performed emergency resuscitation on both survivors, despite the fatigue and cold he was himself suffering. One of the crew rescued survived. The second, sadly, died due to hypothermia.

Last week at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) headquarters in London, Xu was awarded the 2022 IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery.

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Accepting his award from IMO secretary-general Kitack Lim to a standing ovation, Xu described the freezing waters and high waves during his “race against death” to save the people in distress.

“The sea could be cold and merciless, but humans are not. As a seafarer, I will never hesitate to jump overboard to save people in danger,” he said, speaking through an interpreter. “This award from IMO is not only an encouragement to me and my team, but also a recognition of China’s efforts in maritime SAR (search and rescue). In 2021 alone, China successfully rescued more than 13,000 people in distress at sea, which protected the happiness of tens of thousands of families.”

Of course, Xu’s actions were not the only brave acts carried out last year in attempts to save human life, far from it. Partly that was reflected in a number of IMO Letters and Certificates of Commendation that were also awarded last week.

According to IMO, a total of 31 nominations were submitted by IMO member states and non-governmental organisations in consultative status with the United Nations agency. The nominations were examined by a panel, which included representatives of the International Chamber of Shipping, the International Maritime Pilots’ Association, the International Federation of Shipmasters’ Associations, the International Salvage Union, the International Maritime Rescue Federation and the International Transport Workers’ Federation.

The IMO awards were timed to happen just before the latest session of IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee, underlining that there is always more to be done to improve the safety of the industry. Of course, Xu wouldn’t have had to jump into icy water and there wouldn’t have been loss of life if the Tian Feng 369 hadn’t sunk.

A Google search reveals details of the sinking, with 11 seafarers lost, but no reports of the enquiry into the loss. If we are going to improve safety at sea, we need to know the cause when ships sink.