Crew members detect the simulated fire in the main chamber of the workboat Hua'an Dragon, during a marine emergency drill in Pingtan, June 26, 2013. [Photo/pingtan.gov.cn]

Firefighters spray water at the workboat Hua'an Dragon during a marine emergency drill in Pingtan, June 26, 2013. [Photo/pingtan.gov.cn]

The local maritime authorities and security units from various sectors of the Pingtan Comprehensive Pilot Zone, Fujian province, held an emergency drill aimed at coping with marine accidents, in a bid to enhance the county's emergency response capability.

The drill last Wednesday included emergency measures in the event of a ship fire and also an oil spill.

It is an answer call for growing marine activities such as construction of engineering projects and marine traffic communications.

The drill started with a simulated fire that broke out in the main chamber of the workboat Hua'an Dragon. The captain issued a distress signal and then supervised the crew on the deck as they used various fire self-rescue techniques.

The crew members, equipped with professional fire-fighting devices such as fire-proof suits and oxygen respirators, detected fire in the chamber, cut off power and extinguished the fire using fire-fighting lances and a nitrogen dioxide system.

Two patrol boats dispatched by the Fuzhou Marine Rescue Center also participated, and the second stage of the emergency drill involved a simulated oil spill from the Hua'an Dragon. .

The captain alerted the local maritime authorities and ordered the leaking oil outlet to be sealed.

The Fuzhou Marine Rescue Center then sent a skimming boat to the site to complete the cleanup of the spilled-oil, which marked the end of the emergency drill.