Ship crews working along China’s Yangtze River and parts of the Grand Canal can now receive food and daily necessities by drone, reducing the need to wait for supply boats or dock at ports.

The drone delivery service, launched in August, allows crews to place orders while remaining on board their vessels.

The service is operated through a WeChat mini programme. Orders are linked to designated service stations, and vessel identification numbers along with registered phone numbers are used to accurately locate ships before dispatching drones.

Packages are released automatically upon arrival, ensuring safe delivery even for fragile items such as beverages.

One sailor, Bai Xiaojing, who has more than ten years of experience, used the service for the first time in September and shared her experience on a short-video platform, where it received more than 32,000 likes.

She highlighted the convenience of ordering a wide range of items, including hamburgers, cooking oil, milk tea, fresh produce, grains, snacks, and beverages, at prices comparable to regular e-commerce platforms.

Video Credits: New China TV/YouTube

From January to August this year, drones operating under the system reportedly completed 27,000 flights, covering approximately 143,000 kilometres and delivering 264 tonnes of supplies to more than 8,700 vessels.

The service was introduced by Changjiang Hui, an e-commerce platform serving ship crews, to address long-standing “last mile” logistics challenges for river vessels.

Nanjing’s municipal authorities have built a low-altitude service system and flight platform as part of China’s pilot zones for civilian unmanned aviation.

Officials stated that the system integrates intelligent dispatching, 5G communication, route planning, and visual recognition technologies and is now in routine operation.

In Huai’an, Jiangsu Province, ships navigating the Grand Canal have also started receiving drone-delivered supplies, with delivery times reportedly reduced from hours to just minutes.

While the service is currently limited to areas with established infrastructure, operators have expressed plans to extend coverage along the entire 2,800-kilometre main channel of the Yangtze River, enabling crew members to receive deliveries almost anywhere along the route.

References: Xinhua, people