Responding to increasing maritime traffic in the South China Sea, the Coast Guard Administration will hold the Operation Nanyuan No. 1 Drill for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HA/DR) operations on November 29 in the relevant waters of Taiping Island.

The drill is aimed at strengthening the CGA’s maritime search and rescue and medical evacuation capabilities. In addition to showing the nation’s commitment to international HA/DR operations, the exercise will also demonstrate the nation’s capability to conduct HA/DR operations in the area through multiagency cooperation and coordination.

This is the first cross-agency HA/DR exercise to be held in the relevant waters of Taiping Island. It will involve three aircraft and seven vessels. The scenario will simulate a fire aboard a foreign-flagged cargo ship passing by Taiping Island, with injured personnel jumping overboard. The joint exercise will consist of five phases: emergency notification and division of work; maritime firefighting and marine salvage operations; supply replenishment and damage recovery; telemedicine and air evacuation; and transferring injured persons and conducting emergency medical evacuation.

Since 2000, when the CGA took over responsibility for garrisoning the Dongsha (Pratas) Islands and Nansha (Spratly) Islands, it has conducted some 70 HA/DR missions in which 100 persons both domestic and foreign were assisted. The CGA will continue to improve HA/DR cooperation with neighboring countries and implement the government’s policy of transforming Taiping Island into a base for providing humanitarian aid and supplies.