Notice of the Ministry of Transport on Strengthening the Management of International Marine Passenger Transport Market Access

Recently, the Ministry of Transport issued the Announcement on Strengthening the Administration of International Maritime Passenger Transport Market Access (hereinafter referred to as the “Announcement”) on how to standardize international maritime passenger transport activities, ensure the safety of China’s international maritime passenger transport, and further strengthen international maritime passenger transport. Market access management has detailed provisions.

The "Announcement" pointed out that international shipping operators operating international maritime passenger transportation operations in and out of China's ports shall obtain corresponding permits from the competent transportation authorities according to law; and conducting international passenger liner shipping operations shall be obtained in accordance with the provisions of the "International Shipping Regulations". Qualifications for international liner shipping operations; foreign vessels carrying out multi-point anchoring operations in China shall obtain special approval in accordance with the requirements of the “Announcement on Launching Multi-point Anchorage Services for Foreign Cruisers in China”.

The "Announcement" clarified that passenger ships with a national age of more than 30 years and ships listed in the port state’s memorandum of the "black list" of the memorandum of understanding of the Tokyo memorandum are not allowed to enter or leave China's ports; international shipping operators registered in China shall obtain Chinese maritime affairs. The certificate of conformity issued by the department or its recognized organization that suits the type of operation of the ship, and the ship it operates shall obtain the safety management certificate issued by the Chinese maritime authority or its recognized organization; the ship shall have a statutory survey certificate and a ship appropriate to the navigation area. Grade certificates; operating on rented vessels (except light rent), operators should have at least one internationally-swapped ship.

The "Announcement" requires that transportation authorities at all levels and port and shipping administration agencies should strengthen supervision and inspection of the international maritime passenger transportation market in the region, increase on-site inspections, and conduct international shipping for international maritime passenger transportation in violation of the "International Maritime Regulations". The transport operators are ordered to make corrections within a time limit; the maritime department must strengthen the safety supervision over the international maritime passenger transport ships. The relevant port operators must not provide vessel up-and-down passenger services for ships and international ship transport operators that have not been approved to carry out passenger transportation operations to and from our ports.