A Chinese crew member at the Tianjin Port executed a rapid rescue of a Filipino seaman who fell into the water from an outbound vessel recently — an operation that earned him sincere thanks from foreign crew members.

At about 00:20 am on July 30, Zhang Xu, chief officer of the tugboat Jin Gang Lun 31, was preparing to depart Gukou anchorage for pilot transfer duties when a distress call crackled over the VHF radio.

It was reported that a crew member had fallen into the sea near buoy No 29 in the main channel while retrieving the gangway. The sailor's condition was unknown.

Zhang immediately alerted the tug company's duty dispatcher and reported his vessel's position to the Vessel Traffic Service Center. Upon receiving rescue instructions, he activated emergency procedures, sounding the ship's alarm.

While continuously querying nearby vessels via VHF for sightings of the missing man, Zhang used his extensive maritime experience to locate the likely target area — near the white and yellow lights of the distressed vessel.

By 00:30 am, the Jin Gang Lun 31 reached the target zone. Zhang activated powerful searchlights and directed three crew members to the bow. With low nighttime visibility posing a risk of further injury, Zhang cautiously maneuvered the tug to stop about 50 meters from the target lights.

Repeated observation confirmed that the white light marked the location of the struggling sailor. Slowly maneuvering the tug closer to the man's side, the crew prepared a boarding ladder. A deckhand successfully threw the lifebuoy to the sailor, who grasped it and gradually worked his way toward the ladder.

At 00:40 am, the overboard sailor was safely brought aboard the Jin Gang Lun 31 with the assistance of two crew members. The crew swiftly wrapped him in pre-prepared blankets for warmth. After checking his injuries and comforting him, Zhang reported the successful rescue to the VTS Center and the company dispatcher.

Following VTS instructions, the Jin Gang Lun 31 transported the rescued sailor back to the outbound vessel at 01:25 am. As the tug approached the vessel, fellow crew members lining the rail called out repeatedly in English: "Thank you!"

Liu Tingyu contributed to this story.