Chinese Ministry Of Transport News

Maritime clean technology company Silverstream Technologies announced it has signed an agreement in principle (AIP) with China Classification Society (CCS), the primary class society in China that serves the shipping, offshore and related industrial industries.This is Silverstream’s first agreement of this nature with a classification society. The AIP confirms that CCS has reviewed and verified the Silverstream System’s design drawings and provides an independent class verification of its generic system design.

Seven bodies were recovered from a Chinese fishing vessel that capsized in the central Indian Ocean, according to state media on Monday, days after China President Xi Jinping ordered an all-out search to rescue and recover missing crew members.Several countries, including Australia, India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, the Maldives, and the Philippines, joined in rescue efforts for 39 missing crew members after the Chinese distant-water fishing vessel "Lupeng Yuanyu 028" capsized early last Tuesday…

The Methanol Institute (MI) has joined a study led by the China Waterborne Transportation Research Institute (CWTRI), the think tank of the Chinese Ministry of Transport, which will consider the technical and operational requirements for the use of methanol as a marine fuel. The study is supported by methanol producers and distributors Methanex  and Shanghai Huayi Energy Chemical Co., Ltd.Based on the characteristics of China’s energy and shipping industries, the study will create comprehensive guidance and policy suggestions for the use of methanol as a marine fuel…

The Danish Maritime Authority and the Chinese Ministry of Transport met for a maritime dialogue meeting in Guangzhou, China, on April 29-30.Since 2010, the Danish Maritime Authority and the Chinese Ministry of Transport, including the Bureau of Water Transport, have met for annual maritime dialogue meetings.The meetings provide the opportunity to discuss the cooperation between Denmark and China in the maritime area and to exchange views on the challenges facing the sector."Denmark and China have many common interests within the maritime field, and the dialogue meetings between the Ministry of Transport and the Danish Maritime Authority are a great opportunity to exchange views and share knowledge”…

The market for marine exhaust gas cleaning systems, also known as scrubbers, is expected to continue generating momentum in the years ahead amid increasing concern toward maritime pollution and new environmental regulations. The global market share for marine scrubbers is predicted to surpass $8 billion by 2024, according to a report by Global Market Insights.As per the latest International Maritime Organization (IMO) legislation, effective from January 1, 2020, the maximum limit of sulphur in fuel oil used on board ships will be 0.5 percent m/m…

Oil from an Iranian tanker that sank in the East China Sea has diffused into four separate slicks, covering a combined area of just over 100 square kms (39 square miles), Chinese authorites said late on Wednesday. Earlier satellite imaging showed two large slicks, with the larger one also thicker and more concentrated, but the latest data had found four slicks ranging in size from 48 square kms (19 square miles) to 5.5 square kms (2.1 square miles), the State Oceanic Administration (SOA) said. The large tanker Sanchi (IMO:9356608) sank in the worst oil ship disaster in decades on Sunday, raising worries about damage to the marine ecosystem. The bodies of two sailors were recovered from the ship while a third body was pulled from the sea near the vessel.

An Iranian oil tanker that sank in the East China Sea has left two oil slicks covering a combined 109 square km (42 square miles), the Chinese government said, as maritime police scoured for damage and prepared to explore the wreck. Satellite imaging showed a slick of 69 square km (26.6 square miles) and a second 40 square km (15.4 square miles) slick, which is less thick and not as concentrated, the State Oceanic Administration (SOA) said in a statement late on Tuesday. The large tanker Sanchi (IMO:9356608) sank in the worst oil ship disaster in decades on Sunday, raising worries about damage to the marine ecosystem. The bodies of two sailors were recovered from the ship while a third body was pulled from the sea near the vessel. The remaining 29 crew of the ship are presumed dead.

An 8,000 kW rescue tug, the first vessel installed with ABB’s Azipod D electric propulsion system, has been delivered by Huangpu Wenchong Shipyard to customer Guangzhou Salvage Bureau, a division of the Chinese Ministry of Transport. Before delivery, the rescue tug was tested in sea trials where it exceeded design targets in bollard pull, fuel economy, maneuverability and low-load performance, ABB said. The vessel’s captain, Shaohua Liu, said, “We are really impressed with the vessel’s performance. Response time and maneuverability, both of which are critical in our operations, are excellent.

The China Classification Society (CCS), which falls under the Chinese Ministry of Transport, has opened an office in Copenhagen, further extending Sino-Danish maritime cooperation. “For a maritime nation such as Denmark, it is important to have good relations and to cooperate with major maritime nations like China,” said Danish Maritime Authority (DMA) Director General Andreas Nordseth. “Therefore, I am pleased about the possibility of strengthening this cooperation and dialogue through the opening of the CCS office in Copenhagen.

Italian shipbuilding group Fincantieri and Chinese shipyard specialized in ship repair and refitting activities Huarun Dadong Dockyard (HRDD) have signed in Shanghai an exclusive cooperation agreement in the field of ship repair and conversions aimed at serving the cruise ships based in China. The deal includes the development of technical skills, project management and logistics procedures. In particular, Fincantieri, through its Ship Repair and Conversion business unit, will provide…

The Chinese Ministry of Transport has announced that from April 1, 2016, vessels ‘at berth’ at the core ports in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) emission control area (ECA) must use fuel oil containing 0.5 percent sulphur or less. These core ports are Shanghai, Ningbo-Zhoushan, Suzhou and Nantong. Ships entering the ECA are encouraged to use fuel oil containing 0.5 percent sulphur or less. Ships ‘at berth’ at ports in the ECA must use fuel oil containing 0.1 percent sulphur or less. The exact details of how the measures will be implemented (i.e., enforcement, penalties, the definition of ‘at berth’, and requirements for fuel change-over, verification of fuel quality, records and documentation) are not yet available.

China is going after container shipping lines for freight rate abuses. The Chinese Ministry of Transport has fined a total of $65 million on price-fixing charges. The National Development and Reform Commission said in a statement that the imposed fines are equivalent to 4% to 9% of their international shipping sales “concerning transport to and from China". The investigation lasted for more than a year, the NDRC said. Japan's Nippon Yusen KK, Mitsui OSK lines, Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha and Eastern Car Liner, Korea's Eukor Car Carriers, Norway's Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics, Chile's Cia Sud Americana de Vapores and its shipping line were the eight indicted after a year-long investigation.

Maritime summit between European Union, U.S. Representatives from the maritime regulatory authorities of the European Union, the People’s Republic of China and the United States met today in Brussels to discuss antitrust and regulatory issues in maritime transport, confirming a renewed intention to cooperate on these matters. Hosted by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Competition, this was the second official meeting between the three authorities, following the first maritime regulatory summit that took place in Washington in December 2013. The discussions focused on the global trend towards increased cooperation in the liner shipping market, as well as on regulatory and policy issues related to ports.

After an uneven couple of years punctuated by struggling economic factors worldwide, maturing markets and some highly publicized accidents and illnesses, the cruise industry is hoping to find a little “double happiness” from the rapidly growing Chinese market – enhanced profits and renewed market growth for both operators and builders. For its part, the Chinese government is betting on a triple payout:  it hopes to serve a growing middle class (estimated at a potential 300 million market) and its desire for cruising vacations…

Fincantieri, the world leader in the construction of cruise ships, has signed two memorandums of understanding, respectively with Carnival Corporation, the world’s largest cruise line, and with China CSSC Holdings Limited, controlled by CSSC (China State Shipbuilding Corporation), China’s largest shipbuilding conglomerate, which operates in different sectors. These historic agreements aim to explore the possibility of joint ventures in cruise shipbuilding for the Chinese market. This would be an unprecedented, three-way collaborative effort to build the first-ever cruise ships to be made in China. More particularly, Fincantieri would work with CSSC to develop cruise ships production capacity in China.

Carnival Corporation & plc the world’s largest cruise company, today announced it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) to explore the possibility of a joint venture aimed at accelerating the development and growth of the Chinese cruise industry, expected to be one of the largest cruise markets in the world with 4.5 million passengers by 2020, according to the Chinese Ministry of Transport (MOT). Becoming official at a signing ceremony today at the Ninth China Cruise Shipping and International Cruise Expo in Tianjin, the MOU outlines the framework for exploration of a partnership…

Top container shipping companies A.P. Moller-Maersk and MSC Mediterranean Shipping Co cleared the last regulatory hurdle to launch a vessel-sharing pact, but companies that use their services voiced concerns, particularly in China. The tie-up won U.S. approval on Wednesday after four out of five commissioners at the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) voted not to seek further information from the two shippers about the impact of the alliance on exporters and ports, one of the commissioners told Reuters. Maersk said the approval had been the last it needed from regulators around the world, including in China and the European Union, and that the alliance would begin operations in January.

Commissioner Doyle briefed the Federal Maritime Commission at today's open meeting and provided details and recent information pertaining to efforts to clarify the People's Republic of China new Value Added Tax regime. He also discussed China's interest in establishing a mutual NVOCC legal assistance and mutual bond rider recognition mechanism as well as tax concerns in connection with terminal ownership and operations. On October 28, 2013, the Annual U.S. Bilateral Maritime Consultation with the People’s Republic of China was held in Chicago, Illinois. On behalf of President Obama, the U.S.