Safeguarding the blue voyage: New frontiers in China's marine technologies

July 11 marks China's National Maritime Day. As China accelerates the digital transformation of its maritime sector, technologies such as the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, intelligent vessels and integrated ocean observation networks are playing an increasingly important role in improving navigation safety, advancing marine research and supporting sustainable ocean development.

Smarter shipping enhances maritime safety

Digital technologies are reshaping China's shipping industry through the integration of satellite navigation, artificial intelligence (AI) and automated vessel management. The BeiDou Navigation Satellite System provides global positioning, navigation and timing services that support route optimization, collision avoidance and emergency response for commercial shipping, fisheries and maritime rescue.

Recent pilot projects demonstrate the growing application of intelligent shipping. In June, nine new-energy smart vessels – including unmanned and Level-2 assisted ships – completed trial operations in Nanning, Guangxi, providing a model for green and intelligent inland shipping. Meanwhile, the Pinglu Canal project is developing an integrated "ship-port-lock-waterway-shore" management system using BeiDou, 5G communications and digital twin technologies.

"The entire canal will be equipped with monitoring systems powered by the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, cloud computing and AI, enabling visualized management across the full waterway and the early identification of navigation risks," Lyu Jin, deputy director of the Qinzhou Maritime Safety Administration, said. "AI will also support more refined, intelligent and efficient operational management after the canal enters service."

According to China's Ministry of Transport, China plans to deploy more than 100 smart ships and establish more than five pilot intelligent shipping routes by 2027 under its Action Plan for Intelligent Shipping Development, reflecting broader efforts to accelerate digital transformation across the shipping industry.

Integrated observation network strengthens marine science

China has also expanded its ocean observation capabilities through an integrated monitoring system that combines satellites, coastal stations, offshore buoys and autonomous underwater vehicles.

According to the Ministry of Natural Resources, the country's marine observation network includes 11 remote-sensing satellites, 456 ocean buoys and 557 coastal monitoring stations. Together, they provide real-time information on sea surface temperature, ocean currents, waves, wind conditions and marine disasters, supporting marine weather forecasting, resource surveys and disaster preparedness.

The launch of Haiyang-2E, China's latest ocean dynamics satellite, on July 2 has further strengthened the country's marine observation capabilities. Equipped with a radar altimeter, microwave scatterometer, microwave radiometer and calibration radiometer, the satellite can accurately measure sea surface height, significant wave height, ocean wind fields and sea surface temperature. The data will provide important support for marine weather forecasting as well as global climate research, including studies of El Niño and other large-scale climate phenomena.

Coastal waters remain one of the most challenging environments for satellite observation because signals are easily affected by interference from nearby land.

"Nearshore observation has long been recognized as one of the industry's most difficult tasks. The closer the observation is to land, the stronger the clutter interference becomes and the more rapidly detection performance declines," said Zhang Qingjun, an engineer at the China Academy of Space Technology.

He said researchers optimized both the satellite payload and nearshore data-processing algorithms, significantly reducing land interference and improving observation capabilities in coastal waters.

"Filling the gap in nearshore ocean dynamic observations will also provide space-based data for the routine monitoring of mangroves, seagrass meadows and other coastal wetland ecosystems, helping conservation shift from broad management to more precise protection," Zhang added.

Digital technologies safeguard coastal ecosystems

Digital technologies are also improving the monitoring and protection of coastal ecosystems, including coral reefs, seagrass meadows and mangrove forests.

In Guangxi's Beibu Gulf, hyperspectral drone imaging is being used to map mangrove distribution, vegetation density and canopy height, while underwater sensors continuously monitor coral reef conditions. Together with satellite observations, these technologies form part of a national ecological monitoring network covering representative coastal ecosystems.

AI is also making marine ecological monitoring faster and more efficient.

"AI technologies have greatly facilitated our research on corals and reef fish, allowing scientists to spend much more time on data analysis instead of manually identifying underwater images," said Liu Min, professor at the College of Ocean and Earth Sciences at Xiamen University.

At the Dongshan Coral Reef Nature Reserve in Fujian Province, an AI-assisted monitoring platform jointly developed by researchers and industry partners has significantly improved the efficiency of coral identification and underwater image analysis. In Caofeidian, Hebei Province, smart monitoring stations collect real-time data on water quality, turbidity and vessel activities, providing scientific support for ecological conservation, ecological restoration and coastal management.

Expanding international marine cooperation

China is also deepening international cooperation in marine science, navigation and disaster prevention.

According to the Ministry of Natural Resources, China has signed more than 50 intergovernmental marine cooperation agreements and established nine joint marine research centers and laboratories with international partners. The South China Sea Tsunami Advisory Center provides tsunami information services to neighboring countries.

China has also expanded international talent exchanges through the Marine Scholarship of China, which supports young marine professionals from developing countries. According to the white paper of Marine Eco-Environmental Protection in China issued on 2024, the program has trained more than 300 scholars from over 45 countries, helping strengthen international cooperation and capacity building in marine science and sustainable ocean governance.

As digital technologies become increasingly integrated into shipping, marine observation and ecological conservation, they are helping improve maritime safety, strengthen scientific research and support the sustainable use of marine resources.