China put a new beacon tower into operation Tuesday on Zhubi Jiao, a reef in the South China Sea, in a bid to facilitate the navigation in the area.

A beacon tower was put into use on April 5, 2016 in Zhubi Jiao, a reef in the South China Sea, in a bid to facilitate the navigation in the area.

The 55-meter high lighthouse, whose construction began in October 2015, stands on a foundation composed of double octagonal floors. The beacon lights, remotely tested and controlled by China's Beidou system, can reach a distance of 22 oceanic miles (40.7 kilometers) every five seconds.

Zheng Heping, deputy director-general of the maritime bureau of the Ministry of Transport, said, “To increase the capability of the beacon tower in its function for navigation, it has been equipped with an automatic cognitive system and high frequency base stations, which can thus inform ships in the neighboring area of locations and routes, and give safety reports.”

Since May 2015, the Ministry of Transport has built several large, multifunctional beacon towers for navigation and emergency rescue of civil sea trips.

“Following the beacon towers built on Huayang and Chigua reefs, Zhubi Jiao is another large multi-functional beacon tower built to guarantee the capability of maritime navigation in the S. China Sea,” Zheng said.

According to CRI Online, the new beacon tower will definitely ensure the safety of navigation in the S. China Sea and create favorable conditions for emergency rescues, calamity prevention and alleviation as well as eco-conservation in the area.

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