The Second Water Area Intelligent Search and Rescue Skills Competition of the China Diving and Salvage Industry Association Successfully Held

Recently, the second Smart Water Search and Rescue Skills Competition of the China Underwater Salvage Industry Association was successfully held in Qingdao. This competition was organized by the China Underwater Salvage Industry Association, hosted by the association's Public Safety and Emergency Rescue Branch and the National Dangerous Chemical Emergency Rescue Shandong Port Team, and co-organized by Qingdao Huihao Yacht Co., Ltd. and Shandong Mingshi Emergency Rescue Co., Ltd. Twelve teams comprising 103 participants from six provinces and cities including Shandong, Jiangsu, Guangxi, Guangdong, Jiangxi, and Chongqing competed. The event revolved around seven smart water search and rescue subjects over three days of intense competition, effectively testing the innovative tactics, practical application, and human-machine coordination capabilities of new smart rescue equipment.

After intense competition, three group awards and 21 individual awards were determined. The participating teams covered national comprehensive firefighting and rescue teams, state-owned enterprise rescue teams, and social public welfare rescue teams. These included two national firefighting and rescue teams: the Fire and Rescue Brigade of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and the Pengcheng Yulong Rescue Team. Additionally, there were three state-owned rescue teams: the Emergency Rescue Center of Yantai Port Group Co., Ltd., the Emergency Rescue Center of Rizhao Port, and Chongqing Longriver Salvage and Engineering Co., Ltd. Five social emergency rescue teams also participated: Qingdao West Coast Red Cross Xinghai Rescue Team, Nantong Jianghai Blue Shark Water Rescue Team, Nanchang Red Cross Eagle Rescue Team, Nanchang Didi Public Welfare Rescue Team, and Longkou Jiaolong Public Welfare Emergency Rescue Team. Furthermore, Shenzhen Submarine Innovation Technology Co., Ltd., a smart water search and rescue equipment company, participated in the competition.

Relevant units such as national firefighting and rescue teams from Anhui and Fujian, military water rescue units, and the Hong Kong SAR Government Flying Service also sent personnel for on-site observation. The competition was supported with 17 referees and over 30 logistic personnel. Teams of different types competing together highlighted that smart water search and rescue equipment has already seen relatively widespread use across various rescue teams.

The focus of this competition was to test the practical application of new smart rescue equipment, human-machine coordination capabilities, and innovations in water rescue tactics. Building on the experience of the first competition, the organizing committee conducted research with multiple rescue teams and introduced new smart rescue equipment currently in use into the event. The competition involved seven subjects: "Smart Skill Chase Light" tested cable-controlled underwater robot search and discovery, "Smart Skill Navigation" tested drone and surface robot collaborative search and rescue, "Smart Skill Pursuit" tested shoreline collaborative operations, "Smart Skill Escort" tested surface situational rescue, "Smart Skill Diving and Salvage" tested precise underwater searches and recovery, "Smart Skill Sky Precision" tested drone precision delivery and supply search, and "Smart Skill Sea Exploration" tested portable sonar search and positioning. These subjects covered the main processes of water search and rescue, from discovery and positioning to rescue and recovery.

The competition adopted a non-scripted approach, using competition rules as guidelines, with submerged targets and simulated drowning individuals set up by the referee team before the event. Competitors were not allowed to enter the competition site beforehand. This method tested teams' ability to proficiently use smart equipment and collaborate to complete rescue tasks under complex weather and water conditions, promoting the gradual replacement of traditional manual rescue with smart equipment in actual operations. This approach not only reduced rescue risks but also significantly improved rescue efficiency.

It is reported that 2026 is the starting year of the "15th Five-Year Plan," during which the state has set clear requirements for improving the level of intelligence in emergency management. In January, the Ministry of Emergency Management and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued the "Guiding Opinions on Accelerating Innovative Development of Emergency Management Equipment," calling for increased application of unmanned intelligent devices and conducting practical validations of new equipment via scenario testing and training exercises. The association's hosting of this competition is a concrete step toward implementing these directives. The water robots, drones, surface rescue robots, portable sonar equipment, and other intelligent devices used in the event are all current, technologically mature equipment. Nearly half of the participating teams were social rescue teams, and equipment development companies also formed teams to participate, using practical competitions to test equipment performance and connect equipment development with frontline rescue needs. Replacing personnel with smart equipment to enter high-risk water areas and promoting water rescue from direct human involvement to equipment-first approaches effectively reduces rescue personnel risks and enhances rescue efficiency. The association will continue to host smart water search and rescue skills competitions to promote training, construction, and the application of smart rescue equipment across various rescue teams, contributing industry strength to the advancement of intelligent emergency rescue development.