A glance at the work of seamen serving along the Belt and Road

A glance at the work of seamen serving along the Belt and Road
Zhao Yunfei and Li Jian 2018-10-03 https://news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d514d7a456a4e7a457a6333566d54/share_p.html

Trade volume between China and European countries has grown dramatically under the Belt and Road framework ‍over the past few years.

Life for today's sailors has become much easier. The people who serve along the maritime economic belt have witnessed the changes in their everyday work.

Every day, 48-year-old Lu Feng, a COSCO SHIPPING sailor, and his colleagues repair the pilot ladder eight meters below deck. To ensure safety, their job requires strength, diligence and professionalism.

“I have been working as a seaman for 30 years. I have a lot of experience that I can pass along to younger generations,” Lu said.

The design of vessels now is more modern and advanced, Lu said, adding that newcomers don't really need to learn old skills. But knowing a little more never hurts.

There are about 20,000 containers on COSCO SHIPPING Virgo. Part of a seamen's job is to ensure all the boxes are tightly secure, and that all the equipment on the ship run smoothy. Safety matters, all things considered.

“The seamen's responsibility is to guarantee that the vessel operates safely,” said Jin Shengyue, Virgo's political commissar, “If there are any unexpected matters, our schedule will be delayed. Arriving at the ports late will cause some financial loss. It will also hurt our credibility.”

The growing demand for cargo shipping proves that it is one of the most economic ways of doing trade. Delivering via containers results in the least amount of damage to goods.

“China to Europe is our golden route. In the early days, we began with 10,000 containers per ship. Now we ship twice that much. I am very proud of what I am doing,” Lu said.

Lu faced many emergencies in his three decades at sea, but he said the biggest challenge is not being able to stay with family.

Thanks to modern technology, he can now use the internet to text loved ones. Lu said it beats writing a letter, which would take days or weeks to reach home.