Police in Dubai came to the aid of a crew of six sailors facing troubled waters as their dhow threatened to sink.
The force's Maritime Rescue Department received an emergency call from the captain as the vessel sailed out of Dubai Creek.
The dhow was taking in large amounts of water due to a crack caused by overloaded cargo.
"The Command and Control Centre at Dubai Police received an emergency call from the dhow's captain as water started filling the boat, as they were sailing out of Dubai Creek on to an Asian country," said Lt Col Ali Abdullah Al Naqbi, head of the Maritime Rescue Department at the Ports Police Station.
Patrols sent out to the stricken boat brought the sailors to safety.
Police said the crew were all from Asia. They did not specify their nationalities or the date of the incident.
Police divers found the crack in the vessel was so large it would need to be swiftly directed to the nearest dock to secure it before it sank.
“Our teams succeeded in towing the dhow to a nearby dock, then our divers installed special rescue balloons to help keep the boat afloat,” he said.
The officer urged owners of boats, ships and yachts to make use of the Sail Safely service on the Dubai Police app in order to send distress calls immediately to police and ensure rapid responses in emergency situations.
Virtual banks explained
What is a virtual bank?
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority defines it as a bank that delivers services through the internet or other electronic channels instead of physical branches. That means not only facilitating payments but accepting deposits and making loans, just like traditional ones. Other terms used interchangeably include digital or digital-only banks or neobanks. By contrast, so-called digital wallets or e-wallets such as Apple Pay, PayPal or Google Pay usually serve as intermediaries between a consumer’s traditional account or credit card and a merchant, usually via a smartphone or computer.
What’s the draw in Asia?
Hundreds of millions of people under-served by traditional institutions, for one thing. In China, India and elsewhere, digital wallets such as Alipay, WeChat Pay and Paytm have already become ubiquitous, offering millions of people an easy way to store and spend their money via mobile phone. Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines are also among the world’s biggest under-banked countries; together they have almost half a billion people.
Is Hong Kong short of banks?
No, but the city is among the most cash-reliant major economies, leaving room for newcomers to disrupt the entrenched industry. Ant Financial, an Alibaba Group Holding affiliate that runs Alipay and MYBank, and Tencent Holdings, the company behind WeBank and WeChat Pay, are among the owners of the eight ventures licensed to create virtual banks in Hong Kong, with operations expected to start as early as the end of the year.
