China's new digital lighthouse system passed its first major
test with tropical storm Chanchu last week and guided vessels in
Chinese waters to safety.
Chanchu, the first tropical storm of the year in the South China
Sea, sank at least 10 vessels off Vietnam and left dozens of seamen
dead or missing.
No casualties were reported in Chinese waters primarily due to
the automatic identification system (AIS) adopted by China's
Maritime Safety Administration (MSA), Liu Gongchen, MSA executive
director-general, said Monday.
He told the ongoing 16th Conference of the International
Association of Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) that the AIS had given
advance warning to vessels in the path of Chanchu.
Using digital communication technology the AIS records and
reports information on vessels, including speed and course and
receives other maritime information from onshore control stations
and vessels linked to the AIS network.
During the three days Chanchu swept Chinese seas local maritime
safety administrations in south China's Guangdong Province and the eastern Shanghai
Municipality sent wind speeds and directions through the AIS to
both Chinese and foreign vessels in Chinese waters at risks posed
by Typhoon Chanchu. They gave direct instructions to those in the
most danger.?
Mo Qi, deputy director of the Guangdong Maritime Safety
Administration, said all vessels in the path of Chanchu had got
through it.?
China launched the concept of digital lighthouses through the
IALA in 2003 and encouraged technological research within the
association. All members agreed with the concept at the ongoing
conference, said Liu.
Since the end of 2004 the MSA has established and connected to
the network 50 onshore AIS stations covering all important ports
and sea lanes, said Han Wei, an MSA official.
Han said the MSA plans to construct 25 more stations to cover
all coastal waters and the lower Yangtze River by the beginning of
next year.
Held for the first time in China the conference of the IALA runs
from May 22 to 27 with more than 500 representatives from nearly 50
countries and regions discussing "lighthouses in the digital
world."
(Xinhua News Agency May 23, 2006)