Volunteers turn tide for stranded sailors

By Peng Yining (China Daily) Updated: 2016-06-07 08:17

Rescue staff from Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao join forces in a drill at the mouth of the Pearl River.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Since he joined the team, Lin has saved more than 60 people on 20 vessels, and he has also retrieved the bodies of 20 drowned sailors.

The team had just five members when it was founded in 2007, but the number has now risen to 83. In the past decade, the team has rescued more than 300 people and towed 58 damaged vessels.

On March 10, the team cooperated with the Guangdong Maritime Rescue Center to rescue 14 fishermen marooned on an oyster boat whose engine had broken down.

Outstanding contributions

To encourage more people to volunteer, China's maritime administration launched awards in 2007, and every year a total of 8 million yuan is given to volunteers adjudged to have made an outstanding contribution to rescue efforts. The crews nominate themselves and if chosen they can receive as much as 40,000 yuan as a reward for their bravery.

Last year, the administration received more than 400 nominations, and 294 teams were honored, including the crew of a Chinese merchant ship, which altered course to provide assistance to a stranded Filipino fishing boat.

In addition to financial rewards, the administration also provides volunteers with essential equipment, including life jackets, flashlights and ropes. It also arranges two training sessions every year to teach the men how to perform basic first aid.

"Many people die of hypothermia. So the first thing to do after you pull someone out of the water is to keep them warm," said Yin, of the China Maritime Search and Rescue Center. "But many fishermen don't know this. We want to help them to be professional."

However, the high cost of providing their services is the biggest challenge for volunteers. Although, the local government provides Guo with an annual subsidy of 300,000 yuan, he has to use his own money to keep the team running. In 2014, it cost him more than 1.8 million yuan, mostly money he earned by fishing and running a small hostel.

"Sure, the financial pressure is huge, but I can't stop helping other fishermen. People's lives are more valuable than money," he said. "I believe they would do the same for me if I were in danger."

Contact the writer at pengyining@chinadaily.com.cn