The East Sea was vast and hazy, its morning mist just beginning to disperse. A whistle pierced the surface as the “SanhangXiang’an” crane vessel of The Sixth Engineering (Xiamen) Co., Ltd. of CCCC Third Harbor Engineering Co., Ltd. slowly departed from the pier, heading towards the Zhejiang Cangnan offshore wind farm project. On the deck, Chief Engineer Cai Lusheng gazed into the distance, leaning against the railing. The towering crane arm outlined the horizon of the open sea and stirred memories of his over 30 years spent with ships. From an ordinary sailor to a seasoned chief engineer commanding an intelligent engine room, Cai Lusheng’s growth trajectory is a vivid microcosm of the Ship Construction Department of Third Harbor Engineering’s deep cultivation of talent and the passing down of the craftsman spirit.
Rewinding to 1990, Cai Lusheng, who had just entered the shipping industry, apprenticed himself to Master Gong Qingbiao. The first time Cai stepped into the engine room, Gong patted him on the shoulder and advised, “Xiao Cai, remember: ‘Take on both heavy and light tasks without picking, don’t shirk from hard and tiring work, and never push back against urgent and difficult jobs.’ This is our industry’s ‘Three Don’ts’ motto!” Later, these words became Cai Lusheng’s personal creed. In the Ship Construction Department, the “master-apprentice” system is not just a formal arrangement; it’s a tradition ingrained in their very blood—imparting not only skills but also spirit.
The “Three Don’ts” spirit was etched into Cai Lusheng’s heart from day one. During cross-vessel rotation training programs organized by the department, he always volunteered for tasks, never fussing over assignments. Under the careful guidance of his masters, he quickly mastered practical skills and learned the intricacies of equipment, progressing step by step from an ordinary sailor to an engineer on duty, a second engineer, a first engineer, and ultimately successfully obtaining his chief engineer’s certificate. “Without the masters’ unreserved teaching, and without the training and job rotations, I could never have come this far,” Cai Lusheng reflected with deep emotion.
As Third Harbor Engineering expanded its operations into the offshore wind power sector and intelligent vessels gradually became more common, the Ship Construction Department launched a “Specialized Training Program for Informatized Ship Personnel.” They sent Cai Lusheng and a group of other key crew members to equipment manufacturers to learn technology, simulated practical operations in virtual systems, and even strengthened their English language courses. In 2010, equipped with a foundation in information technology theory, Cai was assigned by the department to the “Haishi No.1” platform vessel, where he encountered a fully automated engine room for the first time. Faced with an entirely English operating system, he remembered “never push back against urgent and difficult jobs,” starting from scratch and studying the language and technology day and night. During one operation, the thruster suddenly jammed. If not addressed promptly, it would have halted the project schedule, causing massive losses. Relying on his rich experience and technical support from Third Harbor Engineering, Cai Lusheng quickly identified the problem as a “deviation in the rudder angle feedback encoder signal” and successfully resolved the malfunction, averting significant losses for the project during the wind power installation rush.
By 2020, with the launch of the “SanhangXiang’an” supervision project, Cai Lusheng had grown into a technical backbone. The Ship Construction Department turned the supervision site into a “mobile classroom,” having him lead a young team of engineers to participate in equipment supervision, debugging, and acceptance. His apprentice, Xu Jianchao, followed him to Beijing, Xi’an, Dalian, and other locations, working intensely for over 10 hours a day, sometimes complaining from exhaustion. Pointing at the 2,500-ton main hook, Cai Lusheng said meaningfully, “What this crane lifts are components for national projects, but it’s also the ‘touchstone’ for training newcomers. We can’t be the slightest bit careless!” Under the project’s “old-timers guide newcomers, learn by doing” mechanism, Xu Jianchao and other young crew members grew rapidly and are now capable of handling responsibilities independently.
Today, Cai Lusheng often organizes simulated failure drills, breaking down typical cases from practice into teaching materials. He also leads green ship technology seminars, guiding young crew members in exploring new methods for energy conservation and consumption reduction. The “Three Don’ts” spirit, passed down through his words and deeds, is now deeply ingrained in the veins of the new generation of sailors.
As dusk deepened, the “SanhangXiang’an” smoothly arrived at the work area. Inside the engine room, data flickered on the central monitoring system screens as young crew members worked busily yet in an orderly manner. From Gong Qingbiao to Cai Lusheng, and now to Xu Jianchao, the torch in the engine room is being passed along the course charted by predecessors, relayed from one generation to the next, setting sail with craftsmanship as its guiding force towards ever more distant voyages.
Content provided by: Zheng Sijie
