Waterway safety and traffic under maritime authority's control
The Shanghai Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal in Baoshan District experienced its busiest day on Tuesday with the arrival of three international cruises.
Management of traffic through the deep-water channel of the Yangtze River estuary and inspection of international cruises have been stepped up as the Spring Festival holiday approaches.
The Shanghai Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal in Baoshan District had its busiest day yesterday with the arrival of three international cruise ships. Approximately 26,000 passengers passed through the terminal yesterday, a record for any cruise terminal in Asia, according to Baoshan Maritime Bureau. The terminal’s average passenger volume is 8,000 per day.
“Rescue and firefighting equipment, smoke detectors and watertight doors are among the major items we check on a cruise,” said Wang Daxin, deputy director of Baoshan Maritime Bureau’s Ship Safety Inspection Center.
“The main purpose of the inspection is to ensure the safety of the passengers. Sometimes we require ship crews to simulate an emergency like a fire at certain part of the cruise and see if they could response correctly,” added Wang.
Maritime officials inspect at the safety center of Quantum of the Seas.
Maritime officials inspect at the safety center of Quantum of the Seas.
Quantum of the Seas arrived in Shanghai on Tuesday morning and left for Japan’s Kumamoto Ken later the day. According to Wang, one inspection of an international cruise usually lasts for 4-5 hours. No major safety hazard has been found on international cruises at Shanghai docks over the past year.
With the approach of Spring Festival holiday (February 4-10), the number of waterway travelers will see a rise. Shanghai Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal is expected to welcome 28 international cruises from January 21 to March 1. Passenger volume will reach 220,000 during the period.
Apart from safety inspections of the vessels, the city’s maritime authority has also strengthened management of the deep-water channel of the Yangtze River estuary to assure smooth traffic.
According to Wusong Maritime Bureau, a two-way traffic for international cruises and large container ships has been put into practice on a regular base since last month. The traffic mode has been operating smoothly which helped to improve punctuality of the cruises.
The maritime authority will also hold more random inspections of ships suspected to be involved in illegal transportation of fireworks and firecrackers during the Spring Festival holiday.
Maritime officials check the watertight doors of Quantum of the Seas.
