Sunken Chinese cruise ship’s captain was ‘professional, experienced’, say colleagues
Captain Zhang Shunwen is at the centre of the debate over why the ship went down during a storm on the Yangtze River, with hundreds feared dead
Colleagues of the captain of the Eastern Star, who is at the centre of the debate over why the cruise ship went down with hundreds of lives feared lost, have described him as an experienced and professional officer who took his responsibilities seriously.
Zhang Shunwen, 52, was in charge of the cruise ship on Monday night when it sank during a heavy storm in the Yangtze River.
He was among the few people known to have survived of the 456 on board.
His wife, Mo Bing, was the head of the service crew on the ship and is among the missing.
Chen Yilong, the captain of the Eastern Prince, a sister ship of the vessel that sank, told the South China Morning Post that Zhang was a skilled and professional captain.
A retired chief engineer with the cruise company, who declined to give his full name, also described Zhang as a highly professional officer.
