Smart navigation safety services enable “Made in Fujian” wind power equipment to embark on long-distance voyages.

From the deck of the "Haixun 06" ship, the Xinghua Bay sea area in Fujian appears as blue as a washed sky. Rows of white wind turbines stand tall on the sea, their massive blades slowly rotating, converting sea winds into clean electricity. This is the Xinghua Bay Offshore Wind Farm—59 wind turbines with a total installed capacity of 357.4 megawatts. Since its commissioning, it has generated over 5.2 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, equivalent to reducing coal consumption by approximately 1.57 million tons and cutting carbon dioxide emissions by about 3.83 million tons.

In this busy sea area, staff from the Fuzhou Navigation Mark Office of the East China Sea Navigation Support Center are silently safeguarding the "Fujian-made" wind power equipment as it sets sail through the intelligent navigation support system. "Navigation marks are the stars in the night sea, the eyes in the fog, and the silent guardians of safe ship navigation and smooth cargo transport," a relevant official from the Fuzhou Navigation Mark Office told reporters. The Jiangyin Port Area is an important export hub for Fujian's offshore wind power equipment to the world and a gathering place for port-related industries such as chemicals and logistics. However, this water area is filled with reefs, obstructed by fishing nets, and concentrated with hazardous chemical terminals, posing high risks for large wind power equipment transport ships entering and leaving the port.

To illuminate the path for wind power equipment to set sail, the Fuzhou Navigation Mark Office proactively addressed enterprise needs by tailoring an intelligent navigation assistance plan for the port area—planning meteorological monitoring and AIS sensing terminals on the Baifu Light Beacon, deploying an intelligent electronic fence on the Xiaoridao North Light Beacon, adding AIS equipment to the Xinghua No. 4 Light Buoy, filling in signal blind spots one by one, and providing early warnings for dangerous reef waters.

"In the past, offshore navigation mark inspections were difficult, and inspections in complex waters were inadequate. Now, with the regular use of drones for aerial inspections, the traditional manual mode has been completely transformed," staff from the Fuzhou Navigation Mark Office told reporters. Currently, the office, in collaboration with the Fuzhou Maritime Safety Administration, has applied drone equipment, with five new drones fully operational, forming a coordinated model of aerial inspection and emergency response. "Now, large wind power equipment transport ships have more confidence when entering and leaving the port. Navigation marks are 'visible, audible, and capable of providing warnings,' and the navigation environment is crystal clear," company representatives reported.

By deepening intelligent empowerment, the Fuzhou Navigation Mark Office is steadily advancing the multifunctional transformation of navigation marks in the Minjiang River and Jiangyin areas, allowing every ship and enterprise to share the benefits of technology. To date, the office has completed the review and implementation of the Jinpaimen Light Beacon tidal flow display board transformation, collaborated with Fuzhou Port Group and the Municipal Meteorological Bureau to jointly build intelligent navigation mark points in the Jiangyin Port Area, and plans to complete the construction of three multifunctional navigation marks within the year. Practical achievements such as the Fuzhou Port Intelligent Navigation Public Service System and the Minjiang River Channel Bridge Active Collision Warning System are gradually being implemented and promoted.

Even more exciting is that the Fuzhou Navigation Mark Office's "Intelligent Navigation Warning Information System" has been included in the Ministry of Transport's "Integration and Reform" functional integration list. In the future, it will be officially provided as an important module of the intelligent navigation support external service system.

As the white wind turbines at sea complement the intelligent navigation marks, a safer and more efficient maritime channel is paving the way for cross-strait integration and the upgrading of port-related industries.