VESSEL REVIEW | Zhegang Neihe 002 – Chinese inland boxship fitted with remote navigation technology

Chinese shipowner the Zhejiang Seaport Group recently took delivery of a new container vessel designed for operation in inland waters. Zhegang Neihe 002 (浙港内河002; “Zhejiang Port Inland River 002”) is notable for also being fitted with a remote navigation system, thus enabling the vessel to be controlled from a shore-based operator’s station up to 100 kilometres (62 miles) away.

Development of the vessel was undertaken jointly by the Zhejiang Seaport Group, Zhejiang Port Inland River Logistics, the Zhejiang Provincial Transportation Research Institute, and the Wuhan University of Technology.

Classed by China Classification Society and built by Huzhou Port Shipbuilding, the vessel is being operated as part of a Zhejiang Provincial Department of Science and Technology research project that will demonstrate the application of key technologies for enhanced navigation of inland containerships in a ship-to-shore collaborative environment (as well as introduce a lower-emission alternative to traditional crewed ships for inland container transport). The newbuild is therefore the first intelligent inland containership to be acquired by the Zhejiang Seaport Group.

Fitted with various technologies for intelligent monitoring and control

The ship has a length of 67.5 metres (221 feet), a beam of 12.67 metres (41.57 feet), a depth of 3.3 metres (11 feet), a gross tonnage of just under 1,000, a diesel-electric propulsion arrangement, and a capacity of 64 TEUs. Thanks to the optimised hull alignment and the double-tail fin-stern design, the steering of the vessel is made more flexible, allowing for safe navigation even in narrow inland waterways.

Through the integrated application of key core systems such as an intelligent integrated information platform, a ship-shore collaborative interaction system, and an intelligent navigation system, the ship can utilise remote control and autonomous navigation under certain conditions.

Zhegang Neihe 002 recently completed its first remote control navigation trials, which lasted two days. The vessel was in Taihu Lake in Jiangsu province but was controlled remotely from Jiaxing in northern Zhejiang province. The tests also validated the ship’s situational awareness and autonomous navigation systems.

Following additional trials, the vessel will be placed in operational service in Zhejiang.