Summer internship is only for applying what you have learned quickly and takes nearly 3 hours to commute. Commuting regulations | Center | Commuting
Every morning at 5 o'clock, the sky is hazy and bright. Xu Minhang, a student of Class 203 of the Maritime College of Shanghai Maritime University, hurriedly left his dormitory to catch the early bus 1043 at 5:30, which runs from the Shanghai Ring Road Shared Area Station to Dishui Lake Station, as well as from the starting station to the destination station. And this is just a short journey for him to start his internship every day. This summer, Xu Minhang, who was in his junior year, started his summer internship at Wusong Maritime Safety Bureau.
"I'm in my third year of college and I'm about to face employment, but I feel like I lack social internship experience, so I'm all focused on finding a place to intern." Speaking of internships, it has always been Xu Minhang's wish. When he saw the announcement of the 2023 Shanghai University Student Internship "Sailing Plan" forwarded by the school's Youth League Committee, he did not hesitate to submit his resume. "My major is Navigation Technology, and the professional requirement for this internship position at Wusong Maritime Bureau is' Navigation or Marine Engineering ', which is highly related to my major and also one of my future employment choices." About ten days later, Xu Minhang received a formal internship notice, which lasted for more than a month.
![Summer internship is only for applying what you have learned quickly and takes nearly 3 hours to commute. Commuting regulations | Center | Commuting](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/65eee7f94da42ba9672348bcb2af475c.jpg)
It is not an exaggeration to describe Xu Minhang's daily internship journey as "wearing the stars and the moon". From Lingang to Wusong, in order to arrive at the internship unit at 8 o'clock on time, Xu Minhang has to catch the 1043 bus that departs at 5:30 every day, taking 8 stops from the starting station to the destination station; Then transfer to Metro Line 16, from Dishuihu Station to Longyang Road Station, for a total of 12 stops; Transfer to Line 18 of the subway and take 14 stops to Changjiang South Road Station. Finally, transfer to Line 3 of the subway to reach Songbin Road Station. Finally, walk or bike 1.1 kilometers to reach Wusong Maritime Safety Bureau. Throughout the journey, Xu Minhang needs to take bus route one and transfer to three subways, which takes nearly three hours.
Compared to the tiring commute, Xu Minhang benefited greatly from the gains during his internship. During the first two weeks of his internship, Xu Minhang went through two positions: being on duty at the Ship Traffic Management Center and doing text sorting work. According to maritime regulations, all ships must navigate on designated waterways. The main function of the Wusongkou Ship Traffic Management Center is to provide navigation safety guarantees for all ships passing through the jurisdiction of Wusong VTS, and timely carry out traffic organization services to provide emergency services for possible maritime traffic accidents and pollution. On the duty desk, although Xu Minhang did not perform practical operations on the plane, he sat silently observing the daily operations of the instructor and learned a lot.
![Summer internship is only for applying what you have learned quickly and takes nearly 3 hours to commute. Commuting regulations | Center | Commuting](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/08fdf2bdb5f64d432924267d49e4682a.jpg)
Although on duty in the duty room, each person on duty must stare at four screens and not relax at all. "These four screens contain multi angle monitoring footage of the jurisdiction, as well as electronic nautical charts that integrate various information such as radar." Xu Minhang told reporters that duty officers also need to communicate with ships through professional walkie talkies called "very high frequency". Wusong Traffic Management operates in three shifts, with 24-hour uninterrupted duty. One duty officer has to work two shifts a day, such as from 0:00 to 4:00 in the morning and from 12:00 to 16:00 in the morning. Although each shift only lasts for 4 hours, the duty officer needs to be highly focused. Entering the reporting line, applying for anchor positions, lifting anchors, and dropping anchors... VTS duty officers need to have a comprehensive understanding of the various dynamics of ships within their jurisdiction. "Sometimes when they get busy, duty officers try to drink less water and reduce the frequency of using the restroom. To overcome fatigue, duty officers work for a while and then raise the workbench a bit to stand up and work." Their professionalism left a deep impression on me. "
The biggest difference between studying professional knowledge in school during peacetime and internships is that they can apply their professional knowledge and put the knowledge from textbooks into practice. "I have been taught in school courses on how to access information, which devices can be used to contact traffic management, and how to communicate with traffic management, etc. Xu Minhang said that being able to apply what we have learned has made me very interested in this position.". "I feel honored to see so many ships passing safely under my guidance, thus maintaining water traffic order and ensuring the safety of ships, facilities, and personnel and property. I think this job is valuable."
![Summer internship is only for applying what you have learned quickly and takes nearly 3 hours to commute. Commuting regulations | Center | Commuting](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/45010c4368e50fe66e7683ff910ea4f2.jpg)
The internship experience has improved Xu Minhang's targeted learning in the future. During the internship, when I had free time, I would flip through various rules and regulations and deeply understand that shipping is a highly international industry that requires comprehensive consideration of various factors in order to handle it flexibly. After the internship, Xu Minhang gained a further understanding of shipping. For example, there are many foreign ships coming and going at the mouth of the Yangtze River, and they call VTS in English when communicating. "At the beginning, many calls were unclear or incomprehensible, but fortunately, when the instructor was free, he patiently explained to me what the English words just now meant and what they meant." Xu Minhang always carried a book called "International Rules for Preventing Collisions at Sea" with him, and he found that the teacher's guidance on ships on the control console could find legal basis in the book. "Our professional content is very close to reality. If we could listen more carefully in class, we would be able to get started faster now. Moreover, after the on-site experience of the internship, we have a much deeper understanding than reciting each item in class at that time." Xu Minhang told reporters that even if we don't work as VTS duty officers in the future, if we become a captain one day, knowledge of international maritime regulations, and communication terminology in traffic management are also very necessary.
Xu Minhang's summer internship is still ongoing, and he sees and remembers everything he observes and learns every day, which subtly influences his employment outlook.
![Summer internship is only for applying what you have learned quickly and takes nearly 3 hours to commute. Commuting regulations | Center | Commuting](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/8abc7973f3313ccf81aad0c8c098d5a3.jpg)