BEIJING, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- Chinese marine emergency teams have rescued nearly 10,000 people at sea in the past three years, said the Ministry of Communications.

From July 1, 2003 to August 31 this year, 9,379 people, including 1,453 foreigners, were rescued in 1,716 operations, said Song Jiahui, director of the Rescue and Salvage Department of the Ministry.

Rescue workers saved 486 vessels, 95 of them foreign-registered, while 36 sunken vessels, including five foreign-registered, were salvaged, recovering property worth more than 16 billion yuan (2 billion U.S. dollars), said Song.

Song said 76 percent of the rescue missions were performed in adverse weather and high winds.

An average of 11 typhoons crossed China's territorial waters each year and strong cold currents blow southward to the country's coastal areas in winter, late autumn and early spring, often causing serious accidents, said Song.

About 50,000 Chinese vessels were at sea every day, making the country's sea lanes the busiest in the world. Shipping carried 95 percent of China's foreign trade and accounted for 200 million passenger journeys annually.

To ensure safety during the National Day holiday (October 1 to 10), the Ministry of Communications has called for stricter monitoring of vessel safety and urged officials to crack down on illegal operations like overloading, unregulated traffic and dangerous cargoes.

Statistics show that 226 percent more operations were conducted by rescue teams during the 2001 to 2005 period than in the previous five years, with 41 percent more people rescued.

Since 1951, Chinese rescuers have rescued a total of 38,060 people at sea, including 6,852 foreigners. Enditem