The Maritime Safety Administration of the People`s Republic of China (MSA), has issued a notice stating that following the Maritime Traffic Safety Law of the People`s Republic of China, vessels of foreign nationality that fall into concrete categories shall report to the maritime administrations of the P.R. China when entering the territorial waters of China. 

References: 

Maritime Safety Administration of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) notice of 27 August 2021. 1 1. 

The P.R.C. M.S.A Circular: 

The purpose of the current MAR.CIR. is to communicate to all ship- Owners/Operators and agencies of Gabon flagged vessels that the Maritime Safety Administration of the People`s Republic of China (MSA), has issued a notice stating that following the Maritime Traffic Safety Law of the People`s Republic of China, vessels of foreign nationality that fall into below-indicated categories shall report to the maritime administrations of the P.R. China when entering the territorial waters of China. The MSA notice refers to foreign vessels entering the territorial sea of China. The partial baselines of the territorial sea of China can be found on the webpage of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, PRC (https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/). The new requirements are effective from the 1st of September 2021.

Vessel Categories: 

According to China’s Maritime Safety Administration notice, as per reference the new reporting requirements will apply among others also to: 

a. Ships carrying radioactive materials;

b. Ships carrying bulk oil, chemicals, liquefied gas, and other toxic and harmful substances; 

c. And ‘other vessels that may endanger the maritime traffic safety of the P.R. China prescribed by laws, administrative regulations or provisions of the State Council.

Reporting Requirements: 

When the applicable vessels enter China’s territorial waters they will be required to report the ship′s name, IMO number, call sign, MMSI, satellite telephone number, date, and time current position. vessels must state their last port of call, departure time, the next port of call, and the estimated time of arrival. In addition, they must specify if any dangerous goods or noxious cargoes are onboard, their category, cargo quantity, and proper name. If the automatic identification system (AIS) does not work properly, additional information shall be reported every two hours until the vessel leaves China's territorial sea.2

Penalties for Non-compliance: 

Where vessels do not comply with the requirements, the Maritime Safety Administration can impose a fine of between CNY 50,000 – CNY 500,000 (USD 7,700 – USD 77,000) on the owner, operator or manager of the vessel and a fine of between CNY 10,000 – CNY 30,000 (USD 1550 – USD 4,600) upon the master.

It is recommended that masters of vessels calling any port in China familiarize themselves with the current Circular and look out for any future Notices to Mariners. The reporting limits should be marked on the navigation charts and all navigating officers should familiarize themselves with the requirements. In addition, masters should contact their local agents before calling ports in China to ensure they comply with the reporting requirement.