The School of Navigation is the construction and affiliated unit of the Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory of Inland Waterway Shipping Technology （referred to as the ＂Key Laboratory＂）， which was officially approved for establishment by the Hubei Provincial Department of Science and Technology on December 28， 2012． The Key Laboratory focuses on applied basic research， extending into both fundamental and applied research． Its primary research areas include the inland navigation environment and safety assurance， inland vessel maneuvering and control， inland shipping information and services， as well as vessel emergency rescue and disaster reduction． The laboratory is dedicated to researching major fundamental theories and key technologies related to building a comprehensive， intelligent， safe， and green inland waterway shipping system． Through collaborative innovation in industry， academia， and research， it actively promotes the transformation and application of research results．
The Key Laboratory is based in Hubei， with a focus on the Yangtze River， and radiates nationwide． It closely aligns with the national inland waterway shipping industry and scientific and technological development， serving the economic construction of the Yangtze River Economic Belt and local economic development in Hubei Province． It has achieved significant success in team building， scientific research， and talent cultivation， becoming an important base for high－level talent training， scientific research， technological development， and social service in the field of inland waterway shipping technology in China．