Tag: China

Need to safeguard and expand its maritime interests The recent annual sessions of the National People's Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) - two of the most important political events in China - demonstrated the country's elite's aspiration and resolve to safeguard China's interests in the East Asian seas. At the same time, Premier Wen Jiabao, in his report to the NPC, vowed to give priority to improving relations with neighbouring countries in China's foreign affairs.Experiences in recent years indicate that these two sets of policy objectives may not be mutually reconcilable and is extremely difficult to maintain a balance between the two.Proposals for tighter maritime policiesChina's elite seized the opportunity during the political congresses to demand for more effective protection of Chinese maritime interests. Wang Zhuwen, president of Dalian Ocean University and also a deputy to the NPC, pointed out that the lack of maritime awareness has constrained the development of China's maritime cause. Hence, he proposed that maritime education should be included in the primary and middle school curriculum.At the NPC session Liu Cigui, Director of the State Oceanic Administration, indicated that China is serious about carrying out law enforcement activities in the seas. ...

Updated FAQs and Lists of SPROs, Consortia & MSA Approved Agents Operators will be aware of previous Circulars and News Alerts concerning the recent Regulations introduced in China in respect of prevention and control of marine pollution from ships, including FAQs and lists of Consortia and SPROs (translated into English) produced by the Pollution Sub-Committee of the International Group (the IG).The IG has continued to liaise with the China MSA, various ship pollution response organisations (SPROs), shipowners and other interested parties. It has now produced updated FAQs (click here) in order to incorporate recent developments and to assist Members in complying with the Regulations.The IG has also produced translations of the latest lists of SPROs (click here), Consortia (click here) and MSA Approved Agents (click here)Source: The London P&I Club

Passenger ship sunk into the Xunjiang River after colliding with a cargo ship The death toll in a shipwreck in south China two weeks ago has risen to 20 as six missing people were confirmed dead, local authorities said Tuesday night.A passenger ship sunk into the Xunjiang River after colliding with a cargo ship in the city of Guiping in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on March 11.A total of 14 passengers were found dead and six were missing as of March 15. The search efforts lasted until Sunday when the bodies of all six people were retrieved, the Guiping city government said in a statement.Thirty people, including two crew members, survived the shipwreck.According to a preliminary investigation, the cargo ship was blamed for the accident. It was traveling outside of the river's designated shipping lane when it collided with the passenger vessel.With a maximum capacity of 30 people, the passenger vessel also was overloaded at the time of the collision.The cargo ship's pilot, the passenger vessel's captain and owners of both the ships have been detained.Source: China.org

With an aim to step up exploration for oil and gas In the thick of maritime disputes with several of its neighbours, China on Tuesday said it is mapping South China Sea (SCS) with an aim to step up exploration for oil and gas and to reinforce its territorial claims.China may step up its exploration of South China Sea to reinforce its territorial claims following announcement that geographical surveys of the area are underway, state-run 'Global Times' reported."The majority of the disputed waters used to be beyond our reach because we seldom put our claims into action," Zhang Yunling, director of the Institute for International Studies under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the daily."By drawing a map, the country can reinforce its jurisdiction claim in the South China Sea, and further actions may follow, such as exploiting resources near the Nansha Islands," Zhang said.Located south of China's coast, SCS is connected with narrow straits with Pacific Ocean and covers 3.5 million sq km of the ocean.China claims the entire SCS as its own. Its claim however, has been contested by Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan which assert it is part their maritime waters.Much to China's chagrin, the ...

Better coordination among their naval ships India, China and Japan recently agreed for better coordination among their naval ships deployed for escort of merchant vessels in the piracy-infested Gulf of Aden, the Lok Sabha was informed on Monday.In a written reply to a question in the Lower House, Defence Minister A K Antony said, "India, China and Japan have recently agreed for better coordination among their naval ships deployed for escort of merchant vessels in the Gulf of Aden."Denying that the government has plans to sign pacts with neighbouring countries to counter militant activities and check piracy, Antony said, "Nevertheless, the security and surveillance apparatus for coastal defence has been enhanced over the years."Strengthening of coastal security apparatus is an ongoing process considering the needs and changing security scenario as well as the threat perception, he added.In reply to a question on acquisition of fleet tankers, Antony informed the House that Indian Navy has awarded a contract for acquisition of such a ship to a foreign shipyard."Steel offered by the Shipyard Fincanteri, in response to the Request for Proposal (RFP) for construction of fleet tanker, was technically evaluated by a Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC)," he said.Based on technical clarifications offered ...

PLA deputies seek to promote China's marine economy China will formulate and implement a strategy for marine development, and promote the development of the marine economy, according to Premier Wen Jiabao's Government Work Report released during the fifth session of the 11th National People's Congress (NPC). The report's contents drew strong responses from PLA deputies to the NPC.One of the deputies who commented on China's need to formulate a marine development strategy was Zhu Wenquan, a PLA deputy to NPC, and former commander of the Nanjing Military Region. He said: "The 21st century is the century of the sea and we have entered a new era in which marine resources are being developed and utilized on a large scale. However, China hasn't yet published an overall marine development strategy."He continued: "At present, it is of paramount importance that we promulgate an overall, comprehensive and systematic marine development strategy based on our political, economic, and military situation."Gu Shoucheng, a PLA deputy to the NPC and former director of the Joint Logistics Department of the Nanjing Military Region said that the key to tackling China's lagging marine development is changing the tradition idea that the land, and its resources, and more important ...

Cargo ship was out of the scheduled shipping lane before it collided with the passenger ship Twelve people have been confirmed dead and eight others remain missing after a ship sank in south China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.The passenger ship, from which 28 people have been rescued, collided with a cargo ship loaded with porcelain clay on Sunday on the Xunjiang River in the city of Guiping, Vice-Mayor with the Municipal Government, Mr Zeng Jianqing, said today.The ship was located by two divers at a depth of 200 meters yesterday. Rescuers have been doing salvage work and 10 bodies have been retrieved, Mr Zeng said.Local authorities are trying to confirm the identities of the deceased and verify the number of those still missing, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.According to the preliminary investigation, the cargo ship was out of the scheduled shipping lane before it collided with the passenger ship, and the cargo ship is mostly responsible for the accident, said Mr Tu Jianyou, Deputy Director with the Maritime Bureau of Guiping.Meanwhile, the passenger ship was overloaded at the time of the collision, Mr Tu said.The local Government has dispatched various types of rescue teams to search for the missing people, ...

Chinese maritime delegation in Denmark Once again, the fine relationship between Denmark and China in the maritime field was confirmed. "China and Denmark share many interests as major shipping nations, and today Chinese and Danish shipowners are among the world's largest carriers of goods by sea. Our meetings with the Chinese maritime authorities are inspiring and fruitful and give us an opportunity to get the Chinese view on international maritime developments and on topical issues of common interest."So says Director-General of the Danish Maritime Authority Andreas Nordseth following yet another so-called consultative meeting between the Danish and Chinese maritime administrations. The meetings have been held once a year since 2010 and have been important to ensure and develop the fine Chinese-Danish relationship in the maritime field.During the meeting, the challenges faced by the shipping industry as a consequence of the global financial crisis and the consequences to world trade were discussed, and experiences and views were exchanged on the framework conditions of the shipping industry in both Denmark and China. In addition, other relevant maritime issues were considered, such as safety on board passenger ships and regulations on pleasure boating. On the second day of the meeting, the Chinese guests ...

Falling orders, tight credit could sink private-sector shipbuilders The son of Wenzhou shipbuilding executive Chen Tongkao scrambled to quell fears of a company shutdown after his father, under financial pressure, fled the country in mid-February.Chen's whereabouts are unknown, and since his disappearance the city's business community has buzzed with rumors about the status and future of his apparently captain-less company, Dongfang Shipbuilding (SEA:UK:DFS) .The son, company General Manager Chen Guojun, told Caixin his father had been working hard as Dongfang chairman to find investors and raise funds. Indeed, last year the company successfully listed on the London Stock Exchange's Alternative Investment Market.He said the whole family continues to steer the company, which is very much alive, while his father maintains long-distance contact with Wenzhou government officials.The elder Chen "was based in Singapore," the son said. "My sister Chen Xiudan runs the Leqing shipbuilding base, I run the Congyang base, and my younger brother runs the company's shipping operations."We haven't stopped production."But something's obviously wrong at Dongfang - and at other drydocks and shipyards around the country struggling these days after years of rapid expansion based on strong orders from overseas clients.The shipbuilding industry is slumping, new orders are rare, banks ...

Chinese anti-piracy patrol off Somalia A major source of training for the Chinese Navy is the anti-piracy patrol off Somalia, where an international force keeps Somali pirates from interfering with shipping passing through the area. China has been participating in this operation since 2008. Each Chinese "naval escort task force" consists of one or two destroyers or frigates and one or two supply ships. The 11th such task force is now on its way to the Somali coast, and consists of a destroyer, a frigate and a supply ship. About 800 sailors are involved, 70 of them special operations personnel. Each task force spends four months off the Somali coast. This particular task force is the first from the North China Sea fleet. The other task forces have been drawn from the other two fleets (The East Sea and The South Sea).Service in the Somali task forces is eagerly sought after because it is the most intensive and extensive available. The task force gets practice in long distance cruises (Somalia is 10,000 kilometers distant, and it takes two weeks to get there) and combat operations. Granted, the enemy rarely fires back, and is hard to find. But the crews get ...