上海海事测绘中心精准服务为企业和行业发展添活力。

The vast coastlines, with thousands of sails competing. On the eastern shore, from the bustling Lianyungang port to the vibrant Xiamen port, from inland river shipping to emerging marine industries, a picture of high-quality development in port and shipping economics is gradually unfolding.

Behind all this, the Shanghai Maritime Surveying and Mapping Center is precisely outlining the "safety line" and "development line" of waterway traffic. Facing new situations and new demands, they have consistently prioritized serving port and shipping enterprises and industry development. Using a "service list" as a guide, they extend the boundaries of traditional surveying services to the forefront of industry development, providing solid support for the development of port and shipping economics with precise data and innovative measures.

Demand-Oriented Extending Service Reach into Industry Development

Currently, the shipping economy and marine economy are thriving. New formats such as offshore wind power and marine ranches are continuously emerging, posing higher demands on navigation safety and surveying data.

Faced with common needs in development, the East China Navigational Support Center under the Ministry of Transport (referred to as the East Support Center) has actively leveraged its role. For maritime, port, shipping management departments, and shipping companies, they have formulated a "key tasks list for serving enterprises and industry development in 2026," covering 110 tasks, among which 34 tasks involve the Shanghai Maritime Surveying and Mapping Center.

"This list transforms the goals of serving enterprises and industry development into specific projects, making services more precise and easier to implement," said Shen Anfeng, director of the Shanghai Maritime Surveying and Mapping Center.

Shipping demand in the upper reaches of the Oujiang River is increasing daily, but for a long time, this area remained a "blank zone" on nautical maps. Ship navigation relied on experience, posing certain safety risks.

The Shanghai Maritime Surveying and Mapping Center collaborated with Wenzhou Navigation Mark Office to explore an integrated new model. "We not only need to measure and draw but also ensure that ship operators use the data," said Fan Minghua, deputy section chief of the Surveying Management Section at the center. Through extensive coordination, the center overcame challenges from overlapping jurisdictional boundaries between inland rivers and maritime affairs, incorporating this section of water into nautical chart plans. Currently, the survey project has passed final acceptance, and precise nautical charts of the upper reaches of the Oujiang River will soon be released, providing better service for the development of Wenzhou's inland river shipping industry.

Adhering to demand orientation and implementing "list-style" management, the Shanghai Maritime Surveying and Mapping Center strives to extend its service reach to corners of industry development.

Technology Empowerment Giving "Smart Eyes" to Cross-Sea Bridges

To serve enterprises and industry development requires the guts to tackle "hard bones." When confronted with challenges, the Shanghai Maritime Surveying and Mapping Center didn’t shy away but instead presented solid measures of "technology empowerment."

In recent years, with the development towards larger inland river vessels, the risk of ship collisions with bridges has become more prominent. Nine cross-sea bridges owned by Xiamen Road and Bridge Group bear tremendous daily vehicle traffic, while a constant stream of ships passes below, putting significant pressure on collision prevention.

"Bridges are stationary, but water currents, tidal levels, and ships are dynamic. Traditional static data can no longer meet safety demands," said Fan Minghua. Hence, the Shanghai Maritime Surveying and Mapping Center listed the collection and surveying of these nine bridges as key challenges.

To obtain the most accurate under-bridge clearance heights and pier scouring data, the center introduced new technologies like drone surveying. However, the application of new technology was not smooth sailing. Drone flights require airspace approvals, involving multiple departments such as the military, civil aviation, and public security, making coordination challenging.

"After extensive efforts, we finally streamlined the approval process and used drones for high-precision 3D scanning of the bridges," Fan Minghua recalled.

Currently, all data for the nine bridges has been collected, and the latest nautical charts are being compiled. Next, this data will be converted into warning information to notify passing vessels of the current clearance height in real time, providing "smart eyes" for cross-sea bridges and significantly reducing collision risks.

In sea areas such as Rudong and Yancheng in Jiangsu, rows of white wind turbines stand on the sea, forming a spectacular "forest on the sea." Beneath these giants lie complex submarine cables, the "lifelines" of wind farms but also potential "hazard points" for navigation safety.

"This is not just a potential hazard; it has already caused real problems. Once, a ship anchored off the coast of Fujian unintentionally broke an underwater cable while raising its anchor. The cable company and power generating enterprise were affected and filed a claim with the insurance company. The insurance company refused to compensate, arguing that without official nautical chart markings, they couldn’t verify the scope, area, or rights of use of the sea. From this incident, we realized the urgency of their needs," said Fan Minghua.

Shanghai Maritime Surveying and Mapping Center actively engaged with wind power enterprises, utilizing equipment like shallow seismic profilers for underwater cable "CT scans." "This equipment can penetrate seafloor sediment, providing clear imaging of cable routes and depths buried underwater. Previously, we 'approximately' knew their locations, but now we know them 'precisely,'" Fan Minghua described. Using this data, the center helped enterprises accurately mark restricted areas and cable protection zones on nautical charts, ensuring the safe operation of wind power enterprises while delineating "safety red lines" for passing vessels.

From supporting the construction of "Water Transport in Jiangsu" to serving the development of "Maritime Fujian" and aiding Zhejiang’s strategy of becoming a "Marine Strong Province," the service radius of the Shanghai Maritime Surveying and Mapping Center continues to expand. They are now exploring the use of unmanned vessels, synthetic aperture sonars, and other new technologies to provide forward-looking support for navigation safety in deep seas.

A list of tasks can only achieve tangible results because of technology and service. Guided by the "East China Red Line" party brand, the East Support Center’s Party Secretary Li Jieying initiated a project led by party branch secretaries. Using party-building as a bond to unite various forces, they pushed for the implementation of enterprise service lists and other key tasks. Party-building deeply integrates with operations on the front lines. This "red line" twists scattered resources into a cohesive force, ensuring every task on the list has implementation tools.

Chasing the Deep Blue Leading the Future of Nautical Chart Development

The accelerated implementation of listed tasks has achieved one breakthrough after another. Yet, the Shanghai Maritime Surveying and Mapping Center has not stopped at current achievements but instead sets its sights on deeper and farther azure horizons.

Traditional electronic nautical charts are two-dimensional and static, whereas the S-100 standard electronic navigation data promoted by the International Maritime Organization is three-dimensional and dynamic. It overlays depth, tidal levels, meteorological, and navigation alert information, providing vessels with a holographic perception of the navigational environment.

"This is the future direction of ship navigation. Whoever masters the standards will gain the upper hand," said Fan Minghua. The Shanghai Maritime Surveying and Mapping Center is actively participating in S-100 standard data and navigation equipment tests. On the "Ningyuan Electric Kunlun" vessel, technicians installed the latest S-100 navigation equipment and provided highly accurate S-102 depth data. Recently, S-100 navigation equipment underwent its first sea trial on the vessel, from Jiaxing Dushan Port to Ningbo Beilun Port, significantly enhancing the ship's perception of the underwater navigation environment.

"It feels like giving the ship 'X-ray vision'; the underwater topography is crystal clear," said Wang Ting, captain of the "Ningyuan Electric Kunlun" vessel.

Notably, the Shanghai Maritime Surveying and Mapping Center has also established a "special team for maritime emerging industries," akin to a "special forces unit," dedicated to solving challenges beyond traditional surveying domains.

"We are gradually building a surveying service system adapted to emerging industries, using the S-100 standard as a key focus, amplifying the renown of the 'Chinese surveying' brand in the deep blue seas," said Fan Minghua.