Binjiang Police Affairs
Chapter 91 - 83 You Are The Most Professional (Please Subscribe)

Chapter 91: Chapter 83 You Are The Most Professional (Please Subscribe)

After exchanging pleasantries, they boarded the ship together to inspect it.

Everyone circled around the bow and stern of the cement ship and did not find any obvious collision marks, deducing it was not the culprit ship that crashed into the Jiangnan Shipping Company fleet last night.

First, they recorded the ship’s number in order to contact the owner.

Although there was no evidence of a collision, drifting off anchor is still an accident, posing a serious threat to navigation safety. It resulted in a delay of over an hour for three cruise ships to depart and the suspension of two ferries crossing the river.

Bailong Port Lock Management Office, out of concern that incoming river vessels might collide with the out-of-control ship, only allowed river vessels into Bailong River until the emergency was resolved, before arranging for the dozens of ships waiting to enter the river passage through the locks.

In short, this was something they had to deal with next!

The police must follow procedures in handling cases, and the Port Supervision does likewise.

It was so cold outside, the cement ship was not the place for conversations, nor was it conducive to taking statements.

Chief Zhu and his two colleagues simply borrowed the command cabin of Boat 001, to inquire about what happened from the discovery of the cement ship’s loss of control to the rescue.

Xu Sanye was not accustomed to being questioned by others, and even Han Yu felt it strange; but they were at work and had to cooperate.

"Going into such cold water, Director Xu, you guys are really dedicated."

"Mainly, it’s our first rescue, so we had no experience."

Director Xu turned to glance at the two ’fish’ standing in the corner and said nonchalantly, "You need to be strong to forge iron, without a diamond, don’t take on porcelain work. I’m planning on setting up more floating boards to construct a wave bridge once the riverside base is ready, and also weld rolling cylinders and spiral stairs to enhance training in combat abilities such as anti-dizziness and forced jump assists on the river."

As a station chief, Director Xu always had ideas, which Han Yu had long grown accustomed to.

Liang Xiaoyu did not know what a wave bridge, rolling cylinder, or spiral staircase were for, only understanding that working under Director Xu meant training: either participating in one session or another, nothing surprising there.

Chief Zhu, on the other hand, was secretly astonished, thinking to himself that this level of police training seemed more rigorous than the Border Guards.

He steadied his mind and said with a sense of admiration, "Director Xu, the retrofitting of your vessel is quite impressive, with upgrades to everything except for the main engine and anchor winch. It’s equipped with radar, a radio station, and even a high-pressure water cannon."

"We can’t compare with Binjiang Port; on the Yangtze River, there are only a few passenger and ferry ships, along with a handful of sailing small cargo vessels. Without harbor tugboats or professional firefighting and rescue ships, we have no choice but to press on."

"There are also no professional firefighting and rescue ships at Binjiang Port."

"No? What happens if there’s a fire on the river?"

"Large cargo ships all have firefighting equipment. If the fire is too big, we can only commandeer the Bisha ferry and drive a fire truck onto the ferry to get to the site and extinguish the fire."

Xu Sanye asked knowingly, "Not as professional as us?"

Chief Zhu looked up at the high-pressure fire cannon on the bow, smiled, and confirmed, "Within these ninety-some kilometers of the Yangtze River that we oversee, your firefighting and rescue equipment should be the most professional."

It sounded somewhat exaggerated, but in reality, that was the case.

It was not that others lacked the conditions to employ firefighting and rescue ships, but rather they simply could not operate as Yanjiang Police Station does.

Take Binjiang Port, for example, which had two harbor tugs with several thousand horsepower, one of which was even fully rotary. But with such a large investment, they had to consider economic returns; the main purpose of these tugs was to tow large vessels, especially to assist megaships in and out of the port.

There were also units with small tugs, which similarly had to consider economic returns, primarily used to tow barges for shipping. A single tow could involve over a dozen barges, and even arranging them side by side on the river, with a day of rest being a loss.

The thought that Linghai Tug Boat 012 had become the most professional firefighting and rescue vessel in the Binjiang Port Supervision Bureau’s jurisdiction filled Han Yu with pride, and he couldn’t help but smile.

Chief Zhu was genuinely impressed, half-jokingly saying, "Director Xu, you’re encroaching on our turf here."

"What are you talking about? It’s just that we have the means."

Xu Sanye stubbed out his cigarette butt, turned around, and pointed to the cement ship moored at the dock side, "If you hadn’t come, we would have contacted the Transportation Bureau’s Port and Navigation Supervision Station to handle it. After all, our job is to combat crime and maintain security on the water, not to handle traffic accidents."

Chief Zhu laughed and asked, "Director Xu, do you plan to let us handle it, or have your Transportation Bureau’s Port Supervision Station take care of it?"

"Since you’re here, of course, we’ll transfer it to you for handling. Speaking of which, I still don’t quite understand how your jurisdiction is defined."

"When a traffic accident occurs on the river, it’s usually us who handle it."

"So does that mean we will be dealing with each other more in the future?"

"That’s for sure, Director Xu, we’ll be troubling you often."

"Why say such things."

Director Xu knocked on the command console, spiritedly saying, "I’ve told Zhang Junyan of Bailong Port Police Station more than once, that our Yanjiang Police Station is not only there to combat crime, maintain water security, and firefighting rescue but also to ensure the safety of waterborne transportation. We must also be a strong support for you river enforcement departments, providing a solid guarantee for your law enforcement on the water!"

A Standard Stock Level police station chief actually has to back up a Standard Department Level Port Supervision Bureau and provide support for their law enforcement on the river...

It sounds absurd, but seeing their fully armed appearance, especially the 56 Assault Rifle cradled in someone’s arms, and considering the frequent encounters with violent resistance to law, with several colleagues having been injured, Chief Zhu felt that he wasn’t just boasting. At least in Linghai Waters, they really might need their help in case of trouble.

"Thanks, Director Xu, for supporting our work. From now on in Linghai Waters, we’re all depending on you."

"There’s no need for thanks; it’s our duty."

Xu Sanye gestured grandly, beaming with pride: "We’ve actually done quite a lot, like striking hard to help the Bailong Port Police Station crack down on scalpers selling boat tickets. We also collaborated with the Binjiang Port Police Station in tackling illegal currency exchange. Right at this moment, we have two officers involved in investigations at the Binjiang Port Police Station."

Chief Zhu asked in surprise, "You guys have cooperation with the Binjiang Port Police Station too?"

"Yeah, the radar and radio on this boat were sponsored by the Binjiang Port Police Station. And it’s not just with them; we’ve also cooperated with the Changhang Police East Sea Branch. Any river-related issue that you guys can’t handle, you can come to me."

Xu Sanye’s voice was firm, with an implied meaning in his words.

Han Yu was secretly amused, thinking that Port Supervision could also seek collaboration with them, but since the Binjiang Port Police Station had set the precedent, if they really needed help, they’d have to show some sincerity.

Chief Zhu also detected the implication in Xu Sanye’s words, but this was something for the higher-ups to consider, so he didn’t dare to make any rash statements and quickly changed the subject.

"Director Xu, in situations like today, we would typically requisition tugboats from nearby piers like Binjiang Port to eliminate the hazard. Tugboats are both little cannons and gas guzzlers—the moment they’re deployed, costs are incurred. So during the accident handling process, we list the rescue costs separately, to be borne by the rescued party."

"What do you mean?"

"You’ve helped out so much; we can’t let you foot the fuel bill as well. Once we get in touch with the shipowner, let them first cover the tugboat costs, and then we’ll bring it to you."

The 001 was deployed for three hours, and taking into account the fuel burned by 002, they probably spent about three hundred yuan today.

If they were to ask for rescue costs, it certainly would be more than three hundred.

If you include the fines, the shipowner would have to pay a hefty sum, even if it doesn’t bankrupt them, and how much is that cement ship even worth?

After weighing his options, Xu Sanye looked up and said, "Chief Zhu, we are the police, the People’s Public Security serving the people. If we even charge for rescue, how is that different from charging fees for case handling?"

"We’ll take care of it."

Chief Zhu thought he wanted both money and fame but then laughed and said, "Traffic police processing road accidents, if it involves towing away the accident vehicles, they too charge a tow fee."

To others, today’s rescue operation was scary, but on the river, it’s nothing unusual; similar accidents happen frequently, especially during typhoons.

Without charging a fee, a few more rescues would deplete any amount of money allocated for fuel.

After giving it some thought, Xu Sanye made a decisive statement: "Since traffic police charge for towing cars, then we Water Police should charge a bit for towing boats too. Chief Zhu, there’s no need to trouble you with this. Once we contact the shipowner, have them come over, and we’ll talk to the shipowner."

Chief Zhu laughed, "Okay."

Ordinary people fear the police, but people on boats fear Port Supervision even more.

They have so many charges, and the fines are frightening.

Han Yu, who grew up on boats and whose family still operates on the river, truly sympathized with the shipowner who carelessly let their ship drift away and strongly agreed with the director’s decision.

One offending boat was still unaccounted for. If it were to drift on the river, it could lead to water transport accidents; if it sank, it could clog the waterway and cause other ships to run aground.

Not daring to stay long, Chief Zhu asked Xu Sanye and Han Yu to sign the record and left with his two subordinates.

As for the cement ship, it was temporarily moored at the small dock of the shipyard.

Old Man Zhang from the shipyard was asked to keep watch, and the berthing and watchkeeping fees incurred would later be settled with the shipowner.

To this, Xu Sanye raised no objections.

Having sent off the Port Supervision crew, they were starving, so they hurried back to the station to eat.

Master Ding had to return to the bureau, and Reporter Wang returned from his undercover visit to Bailong Port, accompanied by Li Weiguo. As soon as they saw the three, they said with lingering fear, "Director Xu, your rescue on the river this morning was too dangerous!"

"It wasn’t that exaggerated; the rope with the hook was already wound tightly around. Plus, I was wearing a life jacket, and Old Li and the others were ready to rescue. It was just a bit cold from the river bath, but safety was assured."

Xu Sanye was nonchalant, smiling as he invited Reporter Wang to drink fish soup.

Li Weiguo was not surprised, thinking to himself that since Xu Sanye had the guts to shoot criminals, this was really nothing for him.

Reporter Wang, not very familiar with Xu Sanye, only knew that he was brave. He turned to ask, "Little Salted Fish, were you scared at the time?"

"A little, but just of the cold."

Afraid that Reporter Wang might not believe him, Han Yu added, "Day after tomorrow, 001 has to do a towing test. The towing test is more dangerous than this morning’s rescue, but we have already prepared an emergency plan. With lifesaving equipment and 002 and Bailong Port Passenger Pier’s patrol boats guarding us, we can say we’re prepared and not rashly putting ourselves in harm’s way."