Image source: topwar.ru
The Chinese press reports that on June 11, the first large emergency rescue vessel Haixun 06 was officially transferred to the Maritime Safety Administration of Fujian Province. The ship began patrolling in the Taiwan Strait. Chinese experts believe that the commissioning of the vessel will further increase the level of emergency response to accidents in the region. The ship was built by China State Shipbuilding Corp. Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry since May 2019, launched in February 2021 and commissioned on Monday — the eighteenth anniversary of the official Chinese holiday Sea Day.
— the technical parameters of the vessel are reported by the administration of the Maritime Safety Administration.
Haixun 06 can make raids to almost any point of the world ocean except for polar latitudes, being in autonomous navigation for up to 60 days. The ship is capable of carrying out emergency rescue operations even in strong winds and storms up to nine points.
The vessel is equipped with the BeiDou navigation satellite system, GPS system and satellite communication equipment, can work in cooperation with the maritime patrol, helicopters, UAVs, as well as the Ship Traffic Service (VTS) and Automatic Identification Systems (AIS). Haixun 06 will be used both for emergency rescue operations, as well as for patrolling and conducting maritime inspection and supervision.
According to Wang Huaming, Deputy director of the Maritime Safety Administration of Fujian Province, the number of accidents in the Taiwan Strait is 10% of the total number of maritime accidents in China.
— said Chinese military expert Song Zhongping, adding that the new vessel will significantly increase the safety of navigation in the strait.
The Chinese leadership considers the Taiwan Strait, as well as the island itself, its sovereign territory within the framework of the "one China" concept. It is an intermediate harbor connecting Taiwan with the mainland, the place of intersection of the sea routes of the East China and South China Seas. The Taiwanese authorities, with the support of Washington, in turn, declare that the strait is an international waterway and the regulation of navigation and flights here should be carried out in accordance with the norms of international maritime law.
