Building an expressway on the ocean?

This idea may be unimaginable for many people, but it is becoming a reality in China, thanks to digital technologies used in the marine navigation aiding system.

China Maritime Safety Administration (MSA) said it is planning to set up "expressways" on China's several sea areas using advanced technologies.

The advanced digital aids to navigation include DGPS (differential global positioning system) and AIS (automatic identification system). The former enables ships to realize accurate positioning, while the latter can let administrations know the names, routes and other details of a ship.

With such technology, the expressways on the sea can allow the ship to sail faster and more safely to the ports.

"Despite the soaring figure of the ports' handling of cargo in China, the number of accidents is declining," said Liu Gongcheng, deputy director general of China Maritime Safety Administration at the 16th International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) conference, which opened yesterday in Shanghai.

According to him, the number of cargo that China's port can handle has doubled in the past five years. However, the number of maritime accidents has dropped by 41 percent and the death toll decreased by 34 percent.

The digital aids to navigation can also make navigation safer and reduce accidents and pollution.

Seeing the benefits, China MSA has already carried out an assessment on the efficiency of setting up highways on the sea, said Jin Shenli, an official from the administration.

So far, the result of trials in some ports turned out to be encouraging.

According to Han Wei, director of the department, digital aids to navigation has doubled the efficiency of the port at the outlet of south China's Pearl River.

"The digital aids to navigation there can let big and small ships sail in two different courses, therefore the speed and the number of ships passing through have both increased," said Han.

Shanghai, as a major harbor of China, has already taken a lead in the country in efforts of building marine highways.

"We have planned to build marine expressways on the East China Sea," said Chen Aiping, head of Shanghai MSA. "Around the Yangshan Port that is to become a major hub for large freighters, there will be three channels with facilities guiding ships to the port."

He told China Daily that the channels, guided by both visible and invisible navigation aiding facilities, will identify ships and let them sail to the port through different courses according to their capacity.

"It allows ships to reach the port more safely and faster," he said. "It will definitely contribute to Shanghai's plan of developing Yangshan Port and becoming a shipping hub of China."

China is said to be the first to raise the importance of digital aids to navigation in 2003.

"It's a very forward-looking idea, and it's feasible to carry through," said Torsten Kruuse, secretary general of IALA.

So far, the country has already had 20 marine DGPS stations and an AIS network consisting of 50 shore-based stations.

"These digital facilities have been very useful," said Han.

He gave the example of the battle against the typhoon Chanchu in the past week. "Our navigation aiding facilities gave information of the typhoon to ships on time, such as the typhoon's route and weather report. So none of our ships and sailors have suffered damages in the typhoon."

(China Daily May 23, 2006)