Drones deliver convenience to Yangtze sailors

Twelve-year-old Liu Ziqi celebrated her birthday aboard a ship docked in Yichang, Hubei province, recently. What made the day memorable was a specially delivered birthday cake, a first for the young girl.

Her parents operate a cargo vessel that ferries goods between Shanghai and Chongqing, and she has lived on board with them since she was one month old.

"She celebrates every birthday on the Yangtze River. But we have never been able to go ashore to buy a cake," said Liu Ge, her mother.

Yichang sits at the junction of the upper and middle reaches of the Yangtze River, and hosts the Three Gorges Dam and the Gezhouba Dam.

This year, the local authorities introduced a low-altitude instant delivery service to meet the needs of the tens of thousands of crew members who man the numerous vessels that navigate the river every day, making this year different.

Liu Ge ordered the cake via an app. The delivery rider collected the cake from the shop and took it to the drone base. Using the Yangtze Beidou app, the drone pilot located the vessel. Once the cake was loaded in a basket, the drone took off and headed straight for the ship.

The family's boat remained moored in Yichang for three days while it waited to pass the Gezhouba Dam and Three Gorges ship locks.

Earlier, the family had to depend on mobile "supermarket" ships for supplies, which typically offer a limited range of products at higher prices than shops ashore.

"The other option was to take public ferries with fixed schedules, or pay for a small vessel that cost 100 yuan ($14.8) for a round trip," the mother said, adding that the drone delivery service is fast and cheap, and offers a wide range of shopping choices.

Sailors navigating the route have been making the most of the service.

For 22-year-old sailor Li Wenchuan, the drone delivery service was a godsend, enabling him to quickly obtain medicine for a stomachache for a nominal fee of 10 yuan. Captain Fu Yibo replaced his vessel's 2-metric-ton storage batteries in batches after having them delivered by drone. First mate Zhang Zhongkun ordered chilled milk tea, fried chicken and grilled skewers to cheer up his crew — something that would have been difficult to do in the past.

After months of trials, the low-altitude instant delivery service was officially launched in late July. Including the trials, more than 10,000 orders have been placed so far, with 30 to 40 orders being placed daily.

Contact the writers at chenmeiling@chinadaily.com.cn