All five people aboard a fishing ship, which encountered a shipwreck in a sudden strong tropical storm in the waters of the Xisha Islands in South China Sea, arrived on Monday.
The five people including four Chinese nationals and one Malaysian, were rescued by German container ship "Northern Faith" last Friday at last minutes as their fishing ship "ZHU WAN 4209" was sinking.
Captain Lothar Halbauer of the 35,500-tonage "Northern Faith" said that he received a rescue message forwarded from the related maritime authorities of Hong Kong, China, at around 17:32 last Friday when his ship was on the way to Europe.
The captain said that he did not hesitate to direct his ship toward the spot after receiving the message, although he knew that such a rescue mission might run fatal risk if the two ships collided in the strong storm.
However, he noted, it was his duty to save the men according to the maritime rules.
It was also the responsibility for seamen to save seamen encountering the shipwreck, he added.
Wu Zewei, one of the four Chinese national rescued, told Xinhua that he did not know how to express his thanks in words to the captain when he went onto the "Northern Faith".
Wu said that they could communicate with the German seamen in language and the only way they can do to express their gratitude was to use the body gesture, such as "saluting" and "shaking hands " with the German friends.
Currently the five crew rescued were in good healthy conditions. The Chinese Embassy in Malaysia was helping the four Chinese nationals in going through necessary procedures to go back to China.
Source: Xinhua
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