An intelligent drone station in Jingjiang. [Photo/zhjjwx.jsjjw.cn]
Two sets of intelligent drone stations were recently implemented at the Jiaogang and Xiawuxu ports of the Maritime Office of Jingjiang, a county-level city in Taizhou.
The newly equipped drone stations can withstand maximum wind speeds of eight meters per second for takeoff and landing and endure extremely low temperatures of -20 C. In addition, the drones have a cruising radius of about 10 kilometers and a flight endurance of around 50 minutes.
Their deployment will enhance the city's ability to identify hazards and respond to emergencies in bridge areas, ferry crossings, hazardous material terminals, anchorages, and key navigation segments.
Utilizing the various benefits of drone patrols such as high speed, excellent maneuverability, precision and efficiency, and low operational costs, the Jingjiang maritime department has been actively promoting the integration of drone patrols into daily supervision activities. In 2023, the department established its inaugural intelligent drone station at the Luojiaqiao port.
This station, paired with an all-in-one mission management cloud platform, allows for mission planning in the cloud and features automatic takeoff and landing, route setting, and real-time image transmission.
With the deployment of these three intelligent drone stations, autonomous drone patrols can now fully cover the Jingjiang section of the Yangtze River.