Staff members work at the water transport management center of the maritime safety bureau of Zhangjiagang. [Photo/zjgonline.com.cn]

The maritime safety bureau of Zhangjiagang, a county-level city in Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu province, has employed information technology to facilitate its supervision of vessels.

In April, the smart ship management system the bureau is using added a new feature that allows staff members to quickly identify ships coming areas at medium or high-risk of COVID-19 by collecting and comparing information from multiple sources, according to Wang Zongcai, deputy director of the bureau's water transport management center.

The feature has significantly increased the efficiency and accuracy of ship monitoring, added Wang. The bureau has been keeping a close eye on an average of more than 60 ships from risky areas every day since the feature was launched.

Another feature developed by the bureau itself, known as Electronic Fence, can warn ships that are sailing in waters near where a ship from a risky area is docked to adjust their course, said Wang Haoyu of the bureau's data management center. The feature has sent more than 70,000 warning messages this year.

Other activities that the bureau has conducted with the help of technologies include remote security checks on ships and the punishment of vessels violating rules.