A Born Pilot

 
   In his colleagues' eyes, Yao was a born pilot, but only he himself knows how much he has paid behind the credit.
   Born in a small village on the northern bank of the Yangtze River in east China's Jiangsu Province, Yao knew nothing about navigation when graduating from high school. But he liked water and was qualified for the requirements of eyesight and height to be a pilot, so he chose the navigation major when applying for college.
   However, only campus study cannot fulfill a perfect navigator.
   Yao could never forget his first navigation experience in 1985. Then 22, he just graduated from the Wuhan water transportation college (now merged into the Wuhan University of Technology) and land a job at the Nantong Port.
   It was six years after China implemented the reform and opening-up policy and two years after the Yangtze saw the first foreign cargo ship from Panama come. Nantong, .one of China's earliest 14 port cities, was in its third year of openning to foreign investments.
   The first foreign ship Yao boarded was from Greece. "I felt excited and nervous at the same," he recalled.  However, no matter how hard he tried, he could not adjust the radar to a good state, since the system was different from what he learnt at college. Later, the Greek captain lost his patience and told him to give way to his own crewman.
   Yao got flamed with blushes immediately. From then on, he determined to learn as much technology knowledge as possible and improve his navigation skills. He has kept recording all his navigation experiences, with the ships ranging from 500-ton freighter to 300,000-ton oil tanker. His notebooks, if piled up, are more than one meter high.
   He collected thousands of data about navigation gadgets and etched in his mind every detail about the 300-kilometer water route from Shanghai's Wusongkou Port at Yantze River's estuary to Nanjing City, capital city of Jiangsu.
   He has now the best radar skills among China's 1400 navigators. With profound study of radar and GPS devices, he found a simple solution to correct the delay of navigation mark at the electronic chart, a long headache to many ship pilots.
 

Non-Accident Miracle

 
   All his study efforts and rich practical experience have helped him head off many hazards and kept a non-accident record, a miracle to many of his peers.
   The Jiangsu section of Yangtze River, where Yao navigates ships, is known for its traffic density and complex water environment, with the daily flow reaching 2,600 ships on average and up to 5,000 ships at peak time. Small fishing boats that appear abruptly and then make it more risky to sail along the river.
   "In our career, we don't expect great things to happen, as safety is all that we pursue," Yao said.
   When navigating a ship in the port, he would focus all his attention on every step of the navigation process, while navigating a ship off the port, he always boards the ship a quarter ahead of the schedule to check the anchor, tides and surrounding environment.
   The most thrilling experience took place in 1999, when he piloted a liquefied gas carrier off the port. Sparks from welding by dockworkers splashed over the river and fired the water covered with a layer of waste floating oil. Flames soon enclosed the carrier and a few cables were immediately burnt out. If the liquefied gas on the ship got ignited, it would end in a huge tragedy.
   Realizing the extreme danger, Yao told himself to keep calm. "Sailors, let go all the cables and put out the fire," he gave the command, while steering the ship out the fire circle.
   His composure prevented the whole crew from panic, and his sophisticated knowledge about the surrounding water environment also enabled him to divert the ship to safe waters promptly and save great life and economic losses.
   "It reminded me of the capsizing of Titanic. I thought nothing else but simply wanted to share my life and death with the ship," he recalled.  

National Image

 
   As one of the first navigators in China, Yao witnesses foreign captains' changing attitudes toward them.
   "At first, they doubted our skills. Now, they are generous with their compliments," he said.
   Once, he piloted a Korean ship from Shanghai to 150-kilometer-away Jiangyin Port. He greeted the captain and crewmen with Korean, thus shortening the distance between the two sides right away.  After working together for four hours with the captain, he won the most unforgettable praise when he finished the navigation, due to his perfect skills and responsible working attitude.
   "You are the number one pilot in China," the Korean captain said to him.
   Yao has also learnt English, Japanese and Russian to better communicate with the crewmen from different countries.
   "When you go into a navigation cab, you enter an international community, where you are not only an individual, but also a representative of the national image," he said.
   Yao always has a comb and a mirror with him. After boarding a foreign ship, he will comb his hair after taking off the hat. "It shows my courtesy and respect for the foreign friends," he explained.
   He teaches apprentice pilots to take off their gloves before entering the navigation cabs or living areas on foreign ships so as not to taint the rail and doorknobs. He also reminds them to avoid chink noises when using knives and forks eating and remember to say "thank you" after the crewmen take their commands.
   "What we bring to them is not only safe sailing, but also a good image of the export-oriented economy in the Yangtze River Delta," he said.
   But he can be tough sometimes. In November last year, he boarded a cargo ship from Italy and found the Chinese national flag on the mast was worn out. Under his insistence, the captain finally replaced it with a brand new flag. .
   "It's about the nation's image. We shall not neglect it," he said. 

 
Port Changes