Xu Bo, a sailor from Zhoushan, East China's Zhejiang province, receives an honor from IMO in London on Nov 2. [Photo/Zhoushan Daily] 

Xu Bo, a sailor from Zhoushan, East China's Zhejiang province, was conferred an award for his exceptional bravery at sea by the International Maritime Organization in London on Nov 2. 

Xu, who works as a chief officer of Zhoushan Jianqiao Shipping Co Ltd, is the sole winner of this year's award. 

Holding a marine medical certificate, Xu was not hesitant to jump into the sea and used his professional skills to save two mariners in distress in Zhifu Bay in the Yellow Sea on Dec 12, 2021. 

Xu and his two colleagues tried their best to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the two men and saved one of them. Unfortunately, the other man died from hypothermia. 

Xu noted that saving others not only requires bravery but also professional rescue skills, and his rescue skills can be largely attributed to his company's training and Zhoushan's navigation education. 

He added that the IMO award is a major honor for China's sea rescue operations. 

Xu's act is the crystallization of Zhoushan's efforts to cultivate qualified sailors in recent years, said a local official.

A rescue at sea is carried out by Xubo and his colleagues. [Photo/Zhoushan Daily]