Large-Scale Lantern Upgrade Completed for Poyang Lake Estuary Position Beacon in Jiujiang, Jiangxi, Yangtze Waterway

Recently, the Yangtze River Jiujiang Waterway Office has finished the large-scale lantern upgrade project for the Poyang Lake Estuary Position Beacon in Jiujiang City, Jiangxi Province. The new lantern achieves a luminous range of 12 kilometers, substantially improving navigation aid performance compared with the old facility. It has become "the brightest guiding star" for vessels navigating the confluence of the river and lake.

The Poyang Lake Estuary serves as a critical node on the Jiangxi section of the Yangtze Waterway and the strategic waterway linking the mainstream Yangtze River and tributary Poyang Lake. Featuring a three-way channel intersection, this water section presents complicated navigation conditions. As the first 21-meter aluminum alloy large shore beacon along the Jiujiang reach of the Yangtze River, the Poyang Lake Estuary Position Beacon stands quietly at the junction of the mainstream and tributary waters, safeguarding the safe passage of over 600 vessels every day.

This upgrade has not only equipped the beacon with a more powerful "heart" - a high-power LED large navigation lantern integrated with an efficient lens system and weather-resistant anti-corrosion housing. The clearer, brighter light markedly boosts the beacon’s nighttime navigation efficiency, delivering longer illumination range, stable light intensity and wider visibility coverage. Meanwhile, it is fitted with "long-range vision" and "sharp ears": multi-channel communication including BeiDou short message service, 4G and NB-IoT enables real-time online monitoring of operational status, equivalent to assigning a 24-hour online "health steward" to the lantern. Notably, the new lantern is equipped with an optimized energy supply system, cutting energy consumption by more than 40% versus conventional LED navigation lanterns, earning it the reputation of an "energy saver".

After commissioning, the Poyang Lake Estuary Position Beacon forms an intelligent overwater navigation aid system combining large-scale lanterns, 360° high-definition cameras and millimeter-wave radar. The long-standing voltage alarm issue has been completely resolved, ensuring more stable and reliable equipment operation. The system effectively reduces the sailing frequency of waterway maintenance vessels, cuts fuel consumption and elevates the quality and efficiency of waterway maintenance. To date, the system has operated stably for more than 40 days, safely guiding over 7,000 vessels through the mainstream-tributary confluence waters of the Poyang Lake Estuary at night.

Every night, the Poyang Lake Estuary Position Beacon stands facing the Shizhongshan Scenic Area on the opposite bank. The millennia-old famous mountain and modern navigation beacon form a unique scene, creating a brand-new landscape at the intersection of the Yangtze River and Poyang Lake.