On February 25, at the nation’s first Crew Safety Experience Training Center, the Tianjin Maritime Safety Administration organized more than 40 participants, including representatives from the Tianjin Crew Service Industry Association, COSCO Shipping Crew Tianjin Branch, and heads of crew manning agencies in Tianjin, along with crew representatives. A series of themed safety education activities for seafarers—titled “Learning from Cases, Upholding Safety Bottom Lines, and Keeping the Alarm Ringing for Maritime Safety”—has recently been launched, using immersive and realistic simulation experiences to enhance safety awareness and improve emergency response capabilities.
The training program featured comprehensive content and highly realistic scenarios. In addition to routine safety drills such as onboard firefighting, lifesaving operations, emergency evacuation, and first-aid training, participants also experienced simulations of extreme situations, including vessel listing, severe sea conditions, and sudden engine room emergencies. These simulations were designed to replicate a wide range of potential risks that seafarers may encounter during navigation and onboard operations.
“This activity simulated the workload and risk scenarios of key operational environments such as ship decks and engine rooms,” said Shen Yanguo, chief engineer of COSCO Shipping Seafarer Management Co., Ltd. Tianjin Branch, after completing the training. “Under completely safe conditions, we were able to directly experience the consequences of potential risks. It allowed us to move from simply learning safety concepts as observers to practicing them firsthand. The training helps transform theoretical knowledge into muscle memory and instinctive responses, enabling us to accumulate valuable real-world safety experience in a controlled environment.”
The head of a seafarer dispatch agency noted that the event helped training providers gain a clearer understanding of the risks seafarers may face. “In the future, we will integrate these hands-on experiential training elements into routine seafarer training programs to improve their overall effectiveness from the source.”
According to officials from the Tianjin Maritime Safety Administration, the initiative represents a shift in seafarer safety education—from traditional lecture-based instruction to immersive, scenario-based learning. By allowing participants to personally experience and practice safety procedures, the program not only reinforces awareness of safety boundaries but also significantly enhances practical emergency response and risk mitigation capabilities, thereby strengthening safeguards for maritime traffic safety.
It is understood that on the day of the event, the Tianjin Maritime Safety Administration also organized a series of related activities, including safety warning seminars, case studies of typical maritime accidents, and policy briefings on maritime laws and regulations. Through multiple formats and perspectives, these activities further promoted national seafarer safety awareness and laid a solid foundation for maintaining stable maritime traffic safety in the region.
Source from: China Transportation News Network