After the Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration announced the opening of an office in the Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone in the middle of last year, a technology trial was announced this week.
The news fits in with the sentiment of last year's announcement, which was reportedly in the interests of enhanced innovation efforts, as well as a greater degree of research into zone supervision and services.
Shanghai's maritime authority will examine whether the Beidou system for ship navigation, which was developed within China's borders, can be used at the Yangshan Deep-Water Port. The port has been selected, as it is had been dealing with a visibility issue that has hampered the ability of the port staff to carry out effective work.
Due to the poor visibility in the area, the operations of large ships have previously been placed on hold for nearly two months on an annual basis, resulting in fiscal losses totaling 1.65 billion yuan for the shipping companies that conduct business at the Yangshan deep-water facility.
The launch of the initiative this week was a joint effort involving a three-way partnership between the Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration, Shanghai SIPG Group and Shanghai Maritime University. The three organizations have been developing the plan to integrate the Beidou CORS system into the ship convoy plans at the Yangshan Deep-Water Port on a trial basis since last year.
According to the information provided at the launch event, the new technology means that cargo vessels will be able to undertake their travel in and out of the port under a visibility within a 200-meter distance.