The Pearl River Estuary is criss-crossed by waterways, and giant ships are constantly coming and going; in the offshore areas of western Guangdong, new business formats such as offshore wind power and marine ranching are accelerating the layout. Since the beginning of this year, the Guangzhou Navigation Beacon Office of the South China Sea Navigation Support Center of the Ministry of Transport has been based on the main responsibility of navigation beacon management, and has actively connected major water-related projects in the Greater Bay Area and new needs of the marine industry. It has continued to improve the modern navigation support system with forward-looking services and technology empowerment, and has built a water safety barrier for the high-quality development of the port and shipping economy in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
The reporter learned from the Guangzhou Navigation Beacon Office on the 12th that around the construction of the 200,000-ton waterway project in Guangzhou Port, the office adopted a solution of physical navigation beacons and virtual AIS navigation beacons to take into account both channel construction and navigation safety. Since the beginning of this year, the optimization and adjustment of 20 navigation marks in the waters of Guangzhou Port, Sichuan Island, and Nanpeng Island have been completed, and technical reviews and on-site measurements of navigation marks have been carried out simultaneously for projects such as Huangpu Cang Wharf, Yuzhu Tunnel, and Beijin Port Bridge. As of November, the department has completed a total of 31 technical reviews, 17 technical measurements, and released 93 navigation mark updates.
Serving Yangjiang offshore wind farm. Photo courtesy of Guangzhou Navigation Beacon Office
In order to prevent and control the risk of ships colliding with bridges, the Guangzhou Navigation Beacon Office promotes the integration of navigation aids on bridges such as the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Channel, Humen Bridge, and Nansha Bridge into the telemetry and remote control system. 14 navigation aids on each of the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Bridge and the Beijingang Bridge have been connected. The office has carried out special rectification of special navigation beacons. As of November, a total of 107 non-maintenance special navigation beacons have been connected to the telemetry and remote control platform during the year; it has done a good job in the operation and maintenance of navigation beacons at Yangxi, Zhujiang, Taishan and other energy terminals to ensure smooth power and coal transportation channels and support the stable supply of regional energy.
Facing the deep blue industry, aviation insurance services continue to be extended. For offshore wind power cluster projects such as Yangjiang Qingzhou, Sanshan Island, and Fanshi, the office provides navigation mark distribution and navigation risk research and assessment services, sorts out navigation risks in submarine cable gathering areas, and studies special protection plans. At the same time, we are cooperating with the construction of marine ranches and participating in the preparation of aviation protection plans for deep blue breeding; we are also cooperating with the Chinese White Dolphin Provincial Nature Reserve to promote the distribution of navigation marks in the reserve and the establishment of maritime electronic fence projects to help protect marine ecology.
The smart aviation insurance network is being developed at a faster pace. The Guangzhou Navigation Beacon Office has deployed 9 multi-functional navigation beacons at the Pearl River Estuary, equipped with hydrology, visibility, and wave sensing equipment. It plans to increase the number to 20 next year and jointly build a Guangzhou Port digital channel sensing node with the Guangzhou Port Authority. At present, 112 AIS base stations have been built in the jurisdiction, and 39 base stations have been upgraded. The ship dynamic perception capability continues to improve. Relying on the self-developed AIS ship traffic flow visualization platform, it can quickly determine the risks encountered by commercial fishing vessels and provide data support for navigation demonstrations of water-related projects; it participates in the research and development of multi-source navigation data algorithms, cooperates in tracking down illegal AI false signals, and maintains water navigation order.
Navigation marks are lights and data are eyes. The Guangzhou Navigation Beacon Office continues to promote the integration and application of navigation beacon facilities, sensing networks, and data resources, and continuously expands the boundaries of navigation support services. In the next step, the office will continue to improve its water navigation perception and risk analysis capabilities, protect the Pearl River Estuary and Guangdong coastal maritime access, and continue to contribute to the maritime economy of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area with aviation protection capabilities. (over)
