Fifty people randomly selected from online applications will have the opportunity to witness the country's biggest sea search and rescue drill on July 7 at the Yangshan Deep-water Port, authorities announced yesterday.

The 2005 East China Sea United Search and Rescue Drill will be carried out by 24 cooperating authorities including the city's maritime safety administration, the frontier inspection police force as well as the East China Sea Fleet of the Chinese navy.

Nearly 1,000 personnel, as well as 30 sea ships and five helicopters will be mobilized for the drill.

Maritime officials said the exercise would simulate a variety of emergencies to test units responsible for port safety.

The drill will simulate a collision between a large container ship and a vessel carrying dangerous chemicals, causing a large oil leak into the sea, according to maritime officials.

One of the ships will also be at risk of exploding.

"Participants from different departments will practice working together to rescue the sailors, stop the blast as well as clean up the leak," said Chen Aiping, director of the Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration.

While the drill takes place at sea, the rescue center will be alerted that the dangerous chemicals on the cargo vessel also threaten the port. Officials will then recommend upgrading the port's security level and respond immediately. That procedure will follow guidelines on dealing with a terrorist attack at sea.

To strengthen the cooperation between the Chinese authorities, representatives from the sea rescue centers in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan will be invited to watch. One of the helicopters involved will be from Hong Kong's Government Flying Service.

Maritime representatives from the United States, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, South Korea and Japan have also been invited to observe the drill.

Officials said the coordinated sea rescue exercise will help ensure the safety of the Yangshan Deep-water Port.

The first phase of construction on the port will be completed before the end of the year.

The drill will also commemorate the 600th anniversary of the historic voyage of Admiral Zheng He's fleet, maritime officials said.

(Shanghai Daily June 22, 2005)