The buoy deployment project of Changhai water area has been completed recently. Contracted by the Tianjin MSA in late 2007, the project consists of the deployment of 42 light buoys and 16 port beacons. With the completion of the fully functional AtoN system in the Changhai water area, the traffic accident rate has been reduced significantly.

As one of the eight big archipelagos and the only border island county in China, Changhai County is located in the eastern side of liaotung peninsula, north of the Yellow Sea. Due to its important geographical location, many sea-routes have crossed the area. Nevertheless, with a rough weather and water condition in the area, the shipping traffic around Changhai water area had experienced some difficulties over the past years as the area had reported many accidents.

The completion of buoy deployment project in Changhai water area has left a significant influence to the development of the Changhai County on both economic and social scale:

Firstly, it improved the SAR capability of the area. It is a common fact that indicating devices played a vital role in the SAR mission. In some cases, indicating devices such as light buoys become the guiding lights for the salvation, especially during the night or under the foggy weather. Statistical number shows there were already five SAR missions being successfully carried out soon after the deployment of the buoys, a total number of 12 people were saved.

Secondly, the newly deployed AtoN system will ensure the safety of the shipping. The reconstruction of the light buoys together with the clearance of the water ways has rationalized the sea-route which increase the shipping efficiency by reduced the average voyage in the area for 2.5 kilometers.

Thirdly, the completion of the project had laid the foundation for the nightly navigation. As the rapid economic growth in the Changhai County, there is an increasing physical distribution (PD) on both labor and material level which urge the local authority to initiate nightly navigation. Therefore, the deployment of the light buoys will further improve the shipping safety of the area and open the gate of the nightly navigation in the future.

Fourthly, it standardized the fishery production in the area. Fishery is dominant industry for Changhai County's economy; and there are currently a thousand ships participated in the fishery production business. The deployment of the AtoN will prevent the miss sail of the fishing ships and stop them from interfere the shipping within the sea-route.

Finally, as a frontier County, coast defense has always been a primary concern for Changhai. Not only the security/defense force will benefit form the new AtoN system in terms of the improvement of the navigational aid, it will also enhance the coast defense by promoting security patrol and anti-Smuggling actions.