On October 27, the Guangxi Maritime Safety Administration announced the recent completion of a joint emergency response drill in the waterway management region shared by the provinces of Yunnan, Guizhou, and Guangxi. This event took place in the Baise City area, specifically at the Badah River ferry crossing in Xilin County, and involved participation from 20 organizations, 8 volunteer rescue teams, 25 vehicles and boats, and 115 personnel.

The drill was organized by the Guangxi Maritime Safety Administration, the Guangxi Maritime Search and Rescue Center, and the Baise Municipal Government. The theme of this year’s drill was “Strengthening the Joint Operations and Management Mechanism to Build a Community of Shared Governance.” It included demonstrations of several key response strategies such as coordinated waterway traffic safety enforcement, ship collision responses, oil spill containment, rescues of individuals falling into the water, searches for submerged vehicles, skills demonstrations, and a fleet review.

Technological tools including underwater robots, sonar detection, and drones were employed during the exercise, while multiple camera angles provided live coverage of the event, allowing for comprehensive situational awareness and effective command coordination.

The scenario simulated severe winds impacting the Tian Sheng Bridge (Wanfeng Lake) region, leading to a collision between a passenger ferry carrying 10 people and an empty ferry. This resulted in the first ferry losing control, a fire in the second ferry’s engine room, and fuel leakage. Furthermore, two fishing rubber boats capsized in the rough conditions, throwing all 8 occupants into the water. To compound the situation, a vehicle-carrying ferry capsized due to the wind, causing a car to plunge into the lake. These three emergency situations occurred almost simultaneously, creating an urgent crisis.

Upon receiving an emergency call, the Baise City Maritime Search and Rescue Center quickly activated its response protocol, coordinating resources from the shared waterway management units in Yunnan, Guizhou, and Guangxi to address the incidents in real-time. The response included rescues and transfers of distressed individuals, extinguishing the ferry fire, locating and retrieving the submerged vehicle, and implementing oil spill containment and cleanup measures.

During the drill, various participating units, including maritime, transportation, public security, emergency management organizations, and rescue teams, effectively executed their roles, collaborated efficiently, and worked together using patrol boats, inflatable rescue boats, drones, and ambulances. Their coordinated efforts successfully resolved the emergencies.

After the drill concluded, officials from the transportation departments of Yunnan and Guizhou provided feedback on the exercise, while Wang Ribi, Deputy Director of the Guangxi Maritime Safety Administration, delivered a summary of the outcomes.