Voyage Through Time: Seamen serving along 'Belt and Road'

World
Europe

02:17

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. CGTN's Zhao Yunfei shadowed a sailor working on a cargo vessel, traveling on the golden route.

Climbing eight meters below the deck, seamen are repairing the pilot ladder. This is part of the everyday routine for 48-year-old Lu Feng and his colleagues. To ensure safety, their job requires strength, diligence and professionalism.

LU FENG SEAMAN, COSCO SHIPPING VIRGO "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 says now the design of vessels is more modern and advanced, adding that newcomers don't really need to learn old skills, but knowing a little more never hurts.

ZHAO YUNFEI COSCO SHIPPING VIRGO "There are about 20,000 containers on this vessel. Part of a seamen's job is to ensure all the boxes are tightly secure, and that all the equipment on the ship runs smoothly. Safety matters, all things considered."

JIN SHENGYUE POLITICAL COMMISSAR "The seamen's responsibility is to guarantee that the vessel operates safely. 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 economical ways of doing trade. Delivering via containers results in the least amount of damage to goods.

LU FENG SEAMAN, COSCO SHIPPING VIRGO "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 has faced many emergencies in his three decades at sea, but he says 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 says it beats writing a letter, which would take days or weeks to reach home. Zhao Yunfei, CGTN, on the Indian Ocean.