Chinanews client, Beijing, August 27th (Zhang Xu) On August 27th, Sun Wenjian, spokesperson of the Ministry of Transport, introduced the previous investigation of the collision between two ships in the Yangtze River estuary at a press conference. As of 10:00 on August 24, a total of 3 people had been rescued, 9 bodies were found, and 5 people were missing.
At 3:39 am on August 20, a tanker "Longqing 1" carrying about 3,000 tons of gasoline collided with a sand and gravel ship about 1.5 nautical miles southeast of the lightship in the Yangtze River Estuary. The accident caused a fire on the deck of the tanker "Longqing 1". , The sand and gravel ship sank, and a total of 17 people on the two ships were in danger.
A new round of fire extinguishing plans will be implemented at 5 o'clock on the 21st. Photo courtesy of Shanghai Maritime Search and Rescue Center
Sun Wenjian introduced that after the accident, the Ministry of Transport quickly initiated an emergency response. At about 11:30 on the 21st, the fire of the shipwreck was extinguished during the fire-fighting operations of the "Donghai Jiu 102", "Sinochem Emergency" and "Huxiao 5" ships.
As of 10:00 on August 24, this large-scale search and rescue operation lasted more than 100 hours, and the cumulative searched water area was about 4,000 square kilometers. A total of 3 people were rescued, 9 bodies were found, and 5 people were missing. At present, the "Longqing 1" ship has been safely towed to anchor at the Luhuashan Anchorage and is in stable condition. The accident investigation is underway.
After verification, the sand and gravel ship is a “deck” ship. The AIS system shows the ship’s name as “Shunda 11”, while the actual registered ship’s name is “Ning Gaopeng 668”. The ship deliberately evaded supervision through such methods and engaged in illegal activities. Maritime transportation seeks economic benefits.
Sun Wenjian said: “Illegal maritime transport by inland watercraft is extremely dangerous and can easily cause water traffic accidents. In the next step, the Ministry of Transport will further increase its rectification efforts and severely crack down on illegal maritime transport by inland ships. Ships must abide by regulations and laws, and never take risks." (End)