The International Maritime Research Committee of the Ministry of Transport's Maritime Safety Administration held its 2026 thematic work conference on Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) in Weifang, Shandong, from August 6 to 7. The event was organized by the Shandong Maritime Safety Administration and hosted by the Weifang Maritime Safety Administration, bringing together nearly 60 experts and representatives from the national maritime system, navigation support units, marine-related universities, research institutes, ship equipment manufacturers, and shipping companies. The gathering focused on exploring new approaches and measures for the high-quality development of China's VTS and international compliance work.
Given the evolving landscape of the International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) VTS Committee, the conference closely aligned with the new industry trends. It comprehensively reviewed the annual compliance achievements, concentrating on four core themes: VTS intelligent upgrades, international maritime standards research, frontier technology innovation, and cross-industry and cross-regional collaborative governance. In-depth discussions and exchanges were held to systematically deploy key tasks for 2027.
The conference clarified that it will continue to leverage the integrated "government-industry-academia-research-application" collaborative platform. This aims to enhance China's capabilities in modernizing water traffic governance and continuously elevate the country's influence and voice in international VTS rule-making.
Since the last thematic conference, the subcommittee has actively participated in international maritime exchanges. It completed support for the VTS58 and VTS59 international conferences, organized over 30 participants for eight inter-sessional meetings, and submitted 18 proposals on topics such as intelligent MIS and low-altitude maritime drones. Many of these outcomes were adopted by the meetings. Over the past five years, the subcommittee has produced 62 international proposals and innovated a "1+N" talent cultivation model for conference participation, effectively shifting China's VTS compliance research from "keeping pace" to "leading the way."
During the conference, nine experts from maritime authorities, universities, and enterprises shared demonstration projects, including the Yangshan intelligent decision-making system and the ship-shore digital compliance system. Participants also visited a locally developed VTS system in Weifang, giving high praise to the practical effectiveness of domestically produced core equipment. Following group discussions, the three working groups—operations, technology, and training—reached specific action plans on MASS (Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships) regulation, S-100 data standard implementation, and AI/AR simulation training.
Looking ahead, the conference outlined five key tasks for the subcommittee's next phase: implementing a three-year VTS professional talent development initiative with quantitative performance standards; establishing a standardized training system covering the entire industry; creating a regular government-enterprise communication mechanism; preparing for the 2027 IALA VTS International Conference; and improving a regular industry-wide technical exchange and experience-sharing mechanism.
The conference further integrated national VTS technical, talent, and industrial resources, streamlining the collaborative working mechanism between the dual-affiliated units in Shanghai and Shandong. This sets a clear path for China to deeply participate in global maritime rule-making, promote the large-scale deployment of domestic intelligent VTS equipment, and build a comprehensive, collaborative, and integrated water traffic management system.