Chinese salvagers rescued a Panama flag cargo vessel that was on
the verge of capsizing on Friday night in seawaters off the mouth
of the Yangtze River, saving all seven sailors on board.
The ship, carrying 500 tons of stainless steel, was en route
from Taicang Port in east China's Jiangsu Province to Pohanghang Port in the
Republic of Korea when it lurched and water began to pour into the
cabin at 9:00 PM.
The East China Sea Salvage Bureau of the Chinese Ministry of
Communications sent four rescue ships to the site after receiving
an SOS call.
By 1:55 AM on Saturday, all seven sailors had been rescued and
taken on board a patrol ship from the Shanghai Maritime Bureau.
The bureau said it was windy at sea as tropical storm Wukong,
which has been downgraded from a typhoon, is approaching.
The central meteorological station said Wukong was located at
Kyushu, the southernmost island of the major islands of Japan, at
8:00 AM on Saturday, packing winds at 18 meters per second.
It said the center of the tropical storm is moving northwestward
at 10 to 15 km per hour and will bring high winds to the Yellow Sea
and East China Sea on Saturday and Sunday and heavy rain to
northeast China.
(Xinhua News Agency August 20, 2006)