How Can Fishing Vessels Prepare for Typhoons? A Guide for Fishermen and Offshore Workers

Fishery workers account for a significant proportion of casualties in historical typhoon events. Adhering to three ironclad rules—returning to port within the time limit, selecting proper anchorage, and evacuating personnel to shore—is crucial for fishing vessel safety. The lessons from Typhoon Saomai must never be forgotten.

Lessons Written in Blood

In 2006, Super Typhoon Saomai made landfall in Cangnan, Zhejiang. A large number of fishing vessels seeking shelter in Shacheng Port, Fujian, sank, with most victims being crew members who remained on board to guard the boats. This tragedy established the core principle of typhoon preparedness for fishing vessels in China: Vessels to port, people to shore—vessels can be lost, but lives must be saved.

Three Ironclad Rules for Fishing Vessel Typhoon Preparedness

1. Return to Port Within the Time Limit

Typhoon emergency response protocols at all levels impose strict deadlines for fishing vessels to return to port (e.g., all vessels must return within XX hours after the activation of Level III emergency response).

2. Anchorage and Mooring

• Choose officially designated typhoon shelters and anchorages; avoid crowding narrow port entrances (a key lesson from Saomai: collisions between vessels led to chain-reaction sinkings).
• Reinforce mooring lines according to typhoon standards, maintain safe distances between vessels, and remove tarps and nets that could be torn apart by strong winds.
• Small fishing vessels should be hauled ashore if conditions permit.

3. Personnel Must Evacuate to Shore

Under no circumstances should anyone remain on board to guard the vessel. Property losses are covered by fishery mutual insurance and commercial insurance, but human life cannot be replaced.

Typhoon Preparedness for Offshore Aquaculture (Fish Rafts)

Net-pen aquaculture on fish rafts in areas such as Ningde, Fujian, and Zhoushan, Zhejiang, is a key focus for typhoon preparedness:

• Once emergency response is activated, all personnel on fish rafts must evacuate to shore within the specified time limit; this is a mandatory requirement.
• Reinforce mooring cables and submerge net pens (deep-water net pens can be submerged to avoid wave damage).
• Do not return to fish rafts during lulls in the typhoon (such as the calm period when the eye passes overhead)—wind and rain from the rear eyewall will strike back suddenly and violently.

Commercial Vessels and Offshore Platforms

• Large commercial vessels should follow "typhoon avoidance routes," steering clear of the dangerous semicircle of the typhoon, and comply with maritime traffic control instructions when entering or leaving ports.
• Personnel on offshore drilling platforms and wind power operation and maintenance teams should evacuate in advance via helicopter or vessel according to emergency plans.

Wind circle data (radii of gale-force, storm-force, and hurricane-force winds) and multi-agency forecast tracks provided by TyphoonSays can assist in assessing offshore typhoon avoidance windows. However, decision-making for offshore operations must strictly adhere to instructions from maritime and fishery authorities.