Arya News - The Haixun 14102, China`s first maritime law enforcement boat to receive an integrated digital and intelligent upgrade, reflects the country`s broader push to integrate AI, connected navigation systems, and remote monitoring into one of the world`s largest water transport networks.
SHENZHEN – On a busy stretch of water in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, a 12-meter-long maritime patrol vessel adjusted its course, followed its assigned route and scanned the surface for potential hazards — all without an officer having to steer it through every maneuver.
The vessel, Haixun 14102, is China’s first maritime law enforcement boat to receive an integrated digital and intelligent upgrade. Equipped with an intelligent navigation module, multiple sensing devices and a platform linking the vessel with a shore-based control center, it entered trial operation in early July, according to the Maritime Safety Administration under the Ministry of Transport.
The pilot reflects China’s broader push to integrate artificial intelligence, connected navigation systems and remote monitoring into one of the world’s largest water transport networks.
China’s ports handled 18.34 billion metric tons of cargo and 354 million 20-foot equivalent units of containers in 2025, while its navigable inland waterways extended for 128,700 kilometers, according to the Ministry of Transport.
As the network has expanded, the focus of water transport development has broadened beyond ports, berths and shipping channels to improving coordination among vessels, navigation facilities, shore-based platforms and maritime authorities.
The Smart Shipping 2030 Action Plan, jointly issued by the Ministry of Transport and three other central government departments earlier this year, calls for deeper integration of AI with vessels, ports, waterways, navigation support services and maritime supervision.
By 2027, China plans to establish at least three comprehensive smart shipping pilot regions, open more than five pilot routes, develop over 10 replicable application scenarios and put more than 100 intelligent vessels into operation. Priority applications include emergency rescue, navigation at night or in fog, operations in narrow and winding waterways, waterborne construction and short-distance transport.
In Shenzhen, those ambitions are being put into practice on a compact, highly maneuverable patrol vessel operating in some of the country’s busiest waters.
Haixun 14102 is capable of automated patrols, obstacle avoidance, object recognition and remote operation under shore-based supervision. During one test, it traveled 14.2 nautical miles while keeping its deviation from the planned route within 1 meter. In a simulated rescue exercise, the system detected, identified and approached a person in the water within three minutes.
Rather than replacing officers, the technology is designed to improve situational awareness and support faster decision-making.
“A search-and-rescue operation can stretch to 36 or even 48 hours,” said Hao Xianlin, head of an airport maritime patrol unit under the Bao’an maritime safety administration. “The integrated sensing system can greatly improve our ability to detect and identify the person we are looking for.”
With a top speed of 36 knots, the vessel was selected for the pilot because it is used extensively for routine patrols, emergency response and rescue operations.
Shenzhen sits at the heart of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, where commercial ships, passenger ferries and smaller vessels share busy and often congested waterways. Long hours of visual observation can cause fatigue, while darkness, fog, rough seas and heavy traffic further increase the challenges facing maritime officers.
Video and sensing data collected by Haixun 14102 are transmitted to the shore-based command center, allowing officers to monitor surrounding conditions in real time and provide operational support when needed.
The project also offers a more economical path toward intelligent shipping. Instead of replacing an existing patrol boat, engineers equipped the vessel with navigation, sensing, communication and ship-to-shore systems without altering its main structure or reducing its original performance. Shenzhen maritime authorities said upgrading existing vessels can lower costs and shorten deployment time compared with building purpose-designed intelligent ships.
Yin Yong, a professor at Dalian Maritime University’s Navigation College, said intelligent shipping should not be viewed simply as adding sensors to vessels or removing crews.
“However advanced a laboratory simulation may be, it cannot reproduce every wave, current or unexpected situation at sea,” he said.
At the university’s shore-based digital operation and control center, researchers monitor real-time data from the intelligent research and training vessel Xin Hong Zhuan, including its position, engine performance, energy use and surrounding sea conditions.
The center serves as a shore-based cockpit, providing crews with navigation advice while allowing operators on land to offer support or take remote control when vessels encounter narrow channels, severe weather or emergencies.
“The most practical model at the present stage is cooperation between ships and shore-based operators,” Yin said. “In open waters, the vessel can rely more on autonomous navigation. In narrow waterways or difficult weather, people on shore can step in. That allows us to use the advantages of AI while keeping human judgment available when it is needed most.”
The ship-to-shore model is also being extended to navigation infrastructure.
At Jiangyin port in Fujian province, authorities have equipped navigation aids with weather-monitoring and Automatic Identification System devices. Drones conduct routine inspections, while connected buoys warn approaching vessels of reefs and other hazards.
“The navigation aids can now see, hear and give warnings,” said Chen Jingui, a manager at Fuqing Strait Power Generation. “We have a much clearer picture of the conditions when our vessels enter or leave.”
On the Minjiang River in Fujian, sightseeing vessels are monitored throughout their night cruises through a digital maritime platform, enabling shore-based authorities to track their movements and respond more quickly to abnormal situations.
Digitalization is only part of the transformation taking place on China’s waterways. On the Minjiang River and the Lijiang River in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, electric and other new energy vessels are gradually replacing older diesel-powered boats to reduce engine noise, exhaust emissions and pollution risks in scenic waterways.
Wastewater, oily residues and garbage generated by sightseeing vessels are stored onboard and transported ashore for treatment rather than discharged directly into rivers. The Lijiang River has also introduced a pure-electric maritime law enforcement vessel designed for shallow waters, sharp bends and narrow channels.
Although many of these projects remain on a relatively small scale, they demonstrate how digital and green technologies can improve daily maritime operations through quieter sightseeing trips, more efficient patrols and faster emergency response.
Authorities acknowledge that intelligent shipping remains a work in progress. Wider deployment will require further testing, inspection and certification, as well as operational standards, cybersecurity safeguards and clearly defined responsibilities for vessel crews and shore-based operators. Electric vessels will also depend on reliable charging infrastructure, battery safety systems and maintenance and recycling arrangements.
As trials of Haixun 14102 continue, Shenzhen maritime authorities are refining training, inspection and certification procedures, law enforcement protocols and maintenance standards. The experience gained from the pilot will help determine whether similar upgrades can be applied to more maritime patrol and rescue vessels.