The "2024 Hong Kong Zhuhai Macao Bridge Collision Prevention Maritime Emergency Exercise" was held on the 9th in the waters of the Hong Kong Zhuhai Macao Bridge. This is the first time that Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao have conducted maritime emergency drills in the waters after the opening of the Hong Kong Zhuhai Macao Bridge in 2018. This drill simulates a collision between a passenger ship and an oil tanker in the waters of the Hong Kong Zhuhai Macao Bridge, resulting in damage to the bow of the passenger ship and some people falling into the water. After the oil tanker catches fire and loses control, it touches the anti-collision steel box of the bridge pier. According to the exercise content, the Zhuhai Maritime Search and Rescue Center and the Hong Kong Zhuhai Macao Bridge Emergency Rescue Command received the alarm, verified, evaluated, and reported the danger, and immediately activated emergency response. Subsequently, the Guangdong Maritime Search and Rescue Center and the Zhuhai Municipal People's Government established a temporary joint emergency command center to quickly organize sea, land, and air forces to carry out rescue operations, activate the Guangdong Hong Kong and Guangdong Macao emergency rescue cooperation agreement mechanism, cross regional emergency linkage, and immediately seal off the bridge deck. After an emergency rescue operation, the drowning person was successfully rescued, the passengers of the passenger ship were safely transferred, and the ship was successfully sealed before heading to the shipyard for maintenance; The oil tanker underwent emergency firefighting and rescue, successfully extinguishing the fire and being towed to a safe water area by an emergency tugboat; After testing and confirming the safety of the piers and decks of the Hong Kong Zhuhai Macao Bridge, normal traffic resumed and the emergency response to the danger ended. The focus of this exercise was on the coordination of emergency rescue in Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau, rescue of distressed individuals, firefighting and rescue of distressed vessels, emergency response to bridge collision prevention, and collaborative emergency response on bridge decks. 28 units from the transportation system and Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao participated, deploying 24 boats, 2 unmanned ships, and over 300 emergency rescue personnel. The relevant person in charge of Guangdong Maritime Search and Rescue Center stated that this exercise is a practical exercise for the operation of the Hong Kong Zhuhai Macao Bridge water search and rescue cooperation mechanism, deepening the maritime emergency cooperation in the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area and testing the emergency rescue and support capabilities of the Hong Kong Zhuhai Macao Bridge water area. This drill is jointly organized by Guangdong Maritime Search and Rescue Center and Zhuhai Municipal People's Government, and co organized by the Hong Kong Zhuhai Macao Bridge Maritime Bureau and other units. According to statistics from the maritime department, since the opening of the Hong Kong Zhuhai Macao Bridge, there have been over 1 million ships passing through the bridge's waterway, over 1 billion tons of waterborne cargo, and over 16 million passengers. (New Society)