Two Decades Bond of Friendship Celebrated with Tears and Joy
China Diving and Salvage Association (CDSA) held a special ceremony in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province on July 1, when its president Song Jiahui presented a letter of appreciation to Michael Vlasto for his dedication to support China’s salvage sector and CDSA over past 20 years.
The ceremony marks a long-lasting relation rarely seen elsewhere. During the time span of past 20 years, Mr. Vlasto has been working closely with his Chinese counterparts to promote the communication and cooperation on maritime rescue between China and the UK, making himself not only a contributor but also a witness of the remarkable development of water rescue in China.
According to president Song, both first met on July 28, 2004, when he was present as the only representative from the East at the opening ceremony of the training college at Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) that Mr. Vlasto was working with then. “The first meeting led us to know each other, which served the foundation for China SAR to import 20 self-righting lifeboats from RNLI later,” he recalled.
“The bond that Michael has forged with China started since then,” Song said affectionately, attributing Mr. Vlasto’s recognition to his active endeavours to promote maritime rescue in China and worldwide, and, more importantly his personal charisma that has won him many Chinese friends including himself.
“The ceremony today is staged not only in the name of CDSA but also from the perspective of the country and Chinese people to express the sincere gratitude to an English senior for his long and selfless contribution to the friendly cooperation between China, the UK and even the Europe,” said Song. “The friendly relation that Michael has maintained with us also reflected the openness and kindness of Chinese people, and we wish he will continue his support to the maritime rescue in the future.”
Mr. Vlasto was visibly moved after receiving the appreciation letter, recalling that, as a determined seafarer in his entire career, he was glad to see the remarkable development of maritime rescue along China’s coastal areas through many years of concerted cooperation with colleagues in the Chinese rescue sector. “I am particularly pleased to see many young faces present today, which represents a promising future of our cause in the future.” he continued. “My intimate friendship with president Song stems from my respect for his passion and vision for maritime rescue,” he said. “As a member of the old generation, I will eventually fade out, but my feelings for China’s salvage sector will stay unchanged with my attention and support fixed on CDSA continuously.”
Michael Vlasto is a Master Mariner who joined the RNLI as a Lifeboat Inspector in 1975, where he worked various posts for 30 years. From 2007 to June 2015, he was Chairman of the International Maritime Rescue Federation. In 2005 he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to maritime search and rescue. In 2013, he received the Silver Magnolia Award from the Shanghai Government for his work developing search and rescue services in the Asia Pacific Region.
The ceremony was held at CDSA’s vice president member Zhejiang Manyang Shipping Engineering Co., Ltd. where he was shown to the company’s operational dock before the event. Wang Xinman, chairman of the company expressed his admiration for Vlasto’s contributions in his welcome speech, wishing the friendly relationship between China and the UK continues to improve. Chen Xiaoguang, CDSA Think Tank expert and former Deputy Director of Shanghai MSA, Xu Gendi, chairman of CDSA vice president member Shenzhen DIV Group and Chen Zhikang, CDSA Think Tank expert and General Manager of Shanghai Ruokun Education and Technology Co., Ltd. were also present at the ceremony.