China completes construction of two large lighthouses in the South China Sea

BEIJING - The Ministry of Transport held a completion ceremony for the construction of Huayang and Chigua Lighthouses on Huayang Reef of China's Nansha Islands, marking the start of the operation of the two lighthouses.

The two lighthouses, as the first civil aids to navigation in the Nansha waters, will greatly improve the navigational conditions and reduce navigational risks and accidents by providing route guidance, safety information and emergency rescue and other public services to passing vessels.

It is learned that May 26th witnessed the ground-breaking of construction of the 50-meter-high cylindrical Huayang and cone-cylindrical Chigua Lighthouses with reinforced concrete structures, a light range of 22 nautical miles and a glowing cycle of 8 seconds.

The different parts of their 4.5-meter lanterns, according to different functional requirements, are made of bronze, steel and alloy steel respectively, and protected by zinc coating and anti-corrosion paint.

Thanks to the AIS and VHF stations inside the lighthouses, efficient navigation services including positioning reference, route guidance and navigation safety information, etc. will be provided to ships, which can improve navigation management and emergency response.

The South China Sea is an important maritime lane of communication connecting China and the rest of the world as well as a critical maritime corridor linking the Pacific and Indian Oceans.

The severe shortage in aids to navigation and in maritime emergency and oil-spill response forces and facilities in the South China Sea has immensely hindered the navigation safety and economic and social development in the region.

The construction and functioning of Huayang and Chigua Lighthouses marks a good start for the development of civil aids to navigation in the South China Sea.

In the future, bearing in mind the international responsibilities and obligations for maritime search and rescue, prevention and mitigation of natural disasters, marine environmental protection, navigation safety and fishery, the Ministry of Transport of China will continue the construction of facilities for navigation aids, emergency response and life saving in the South China Sea, so as to provide regional countries and all passing vessels with navigation services, aiming at forging a safety chain and network in the region.