Four crew members of a small cargo ship were rescued off Guangdong province in southern China on Friday, 30 October 2026. Their ship had lost power and drifted at sea for days. All four are safe and not hurt.
The ship had sailed from Zhangzhou in Fujian province. It lost power because of a technical fault, Guangdong's maritime law enforcement office said. The office described it as an unnamed cargo ship. Its statement was published by Southern Net, a news site of the Southern Media Group in Guangdong.
How the crew were found
A passing fishing boat found the drifting ship. The fishing boat Yue Yangxi Yu 98012 reported a ship without power about 70 nautical miles off Shantou. The report reached the Guangdong law enforcement office at 04:59 local time, through the provincial maritime search and rescue centre.
The office sent rescue orders to five fishing boats nearby. It sent the closest one, Yue Yangxi Yu 98021, to the scene. The search and rescue centre also sent patrol boats and a rescue helicopter.
At 08:50, the crew of Yue Yangxi Yu 98012 took all four people on board their fishing boat. The four were in a stable condition.
The helicopter flight
The South China Sea No. 1 Rescue Flying Service sent its helicopter B-72CS. This service belongs to China's Ministry of Transport. The place was about 230 nautical miles southeast of Zhuhai, Beijing News reports.
At about 09:00, the helicopter crew lifted all four people up into the helicopter. About one hour later, it landed at Jieyang airport. The rescuers then handed the four over to the maritime authorities.
The four reached land at 11:02 and had health checks, the Guangdong office said. All of them are safe. Beijing News says the ship had drifted for five days without power. The Guangdong office says it drifted for several days.
What crews can learn
This crew was lucky that a fishing boat passed by. A ship without power can drift for a long time before anyone notices. These steps help rescuers find you faster.
Report a breakdown early. Call the nearest rescue centre or coast station by VHF radio before the situation gets worse.
Keep emergency equipment ready. This includes the EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon), flares and a working VHF radio. Check the batteries before every trip.
Tell someone ashore your route and your expected arrival time. Ask them to call the authorities if you do not arrive.
Carry enough drinking water and food for several extra days at sea.
Keep your lifejackets close and wear them on deck in bad weather.
If you see a ship in trouble, report it to the rescue centre and stay nearby if it is safe. Your report can save lives, like the fishing crews did here.
Cover photo: The port of Shantou in Guangdong province, China, with cranes and small boats, October 2012. The photo is illustrative and does not show the ship in this story. Photo: Puekai, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0.
Sources: Southern Net (Guangdong Ocean Comprehensive Law Enforcement), 30 Oct 2026: Guangdong fishing boats help a cargo ship in distress and rescue 4 crew (粤渔船见义勇为 紧急驰援遇险货船 安全救起4名遇险船员), Beijing News, 30 Oct 2026: Cargo ship with 4 people drifts out of control for 5 days; helicopter rescues them (载4人货船失控在海上漂航5天，直升机到场救人).
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