Wang Qingjian has witnessed many maritime accidents in his 34 years fishing on the seas around the Nansha Islands, but his memories of lost vessels from the Philippines and Vietnam were lost in the darkness back in 2007 are the most vivid.

"There were hundreds of people floating in the sea, just like ants, among pieces of broken ships," said Wang, 55, who is captain of a fishing boat based in Tanmen town, Qionghai, Hainan province.

In November 2007, before Typhoon Hagibis had formed, Fu Shibao, an officer in charge of Tanmen's South China Sea 110 maritime security hotline, had forecast it was coming, based on his rich experience. He reached his conclusion several days earlier than China's official forecast.