China News Service, Guigang, September 29 (Huang Yanmei, Lin Yuhang, Li Jun) On September 28, the Guangxi Guigang Water Search and Rescue Center and the Guigang Highway Development Center organized a 2026 ship collision bridge special emergency drill in the waters upstream of the Guiping Yujiang Bridge to test the actual level of multi-department collaborative handling of ship collision bridge emergencies and improve the emergency response capabilities for major water hazards during flood seasons.
This drill is based on the high-risk scenario of ships anchoring and drifting during the flood season in the jurisdiction. It simulates the impact of heavy rainfall, the flow of the hub's flood discharge river increases, the cargo ship anchored upstream of the Guiping Ship Lock encounters flooding and breaks anchor, and the ship drifts out of control, threatening the safety of downstream cross-river bridges and hub dams. Relevant departments quickly and scientifically handle the entire process of the danger.
The picture shows the training site. Photo by Chen Wanying
The drill sets up two coherent subjects: ship anchorage, collision with bridge piers and shore-based linkage, and completely restores the entire handling chain of danger warning, early warning issuance, force dispatch, on-site rescue, bridge inspection, traffic control, and danger relief.
In the ship anchoring subject, the simulated ship lost control and drifted due to floods, endangering the safety of downstream bridges. After receiving the report, the Guigang Water Search and Rescue Center immediately launched an emergency response, notified the highway authorities immediately, dispatched emergency forces from all parties to the scene, and fully implemented water rescue and land warning and surveillance work. The maritime department quickly dispatched coast guard boats to the scene, issued safety reminders, controlled traffic order, diverted passing ships away from dangerous areas, and simultaneously guided ships in distress to carry out self-rescue. They mobilized emergency rescue tugs to approach and carry out cable towing, and made every effort to push out-of-control ships to the slow water area and prevent them from approaching downstream bridges in the direction of the current.
In the dangerous scenario of a ship hitting a bridge pier, the simulated out-of-control ship was hit by the rapids and failed to be completely intercepted. The bow of the ship hit the Guiping Yujiang Bridge and got stuck on the bridge pier, posing a threat to the safety of the bridge. The Guigang Water Search and Rescue Center quickly mobilized high-powered tugs to carry out vessel escape operations; the highway department immediately coordinated with the public security and traffic police to implement two-way traffic control on the bridge and set up detour warning signs to ensure smooth emergency rescue channels. Bridge technical inspection personnel arrived at the bridge pier on a law enforcement boat and conducted a rapid inspection and evaluation of the anti-collision facilities, pier body, supports and bridge structure. After comprehensive on-site evaluation, it was found that the bridge had no structural damage, the bridge piers had no displacement or cracking, and met the conditions for safe traffic. Based on this, the on-site command headquarters announced that the danger was lifted and the bridge's water and land traffic order was restored.
This practical exercise comprehensively used technical means such as UAV aerial reconnaissance, water communication early warning, and rapid bridge detection to test the comprehensive coordination and response capabilities of relevant department personnel for similar water dangers. It achieved a seamless connection between water emergency rescue and land bridge emergency response, effectively improved the actual combat level of multi-department collaborative handling of ship collision bridge emergencies, and laid a solid foundation for emergency support to ensure the safety of water navigation and the operation safety of cross-river bridges in the jurisdiction. (over)
