The Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration has unveiled upgraded measures to support the Lin-gang Special Area in expanding high-standard opening-up and promoting the high-quality development of the shipping services sector.

According to a policy document released by the administration on Dec 1, 14 upgraded service measures will be implemented in three key areas, including efforts to enhance the capabilities of Yangshan Port, contribute to the digital, intelligent and green transformation of the shipping industry, and create a first-class business environment for shipping operators.

The document emphasizes optimizing navigational efficiency, particularly at the Yangshan Port, and improving integrated traffic organization for mainline container ships and enhancing one-stop docking for feeder vessels in order to boost safety and punctuality while minimizing the impact of adverse weather through refined strategies. Additionally, smart maritime supervision will be implemented to enhance efficiency of dynamic monitoring and timeliness of risk warning.

Yangshan Port Maritime Safety Administration develops an AI-driven system for vessel traffic services. [Photo/WeChat account: shmsawx]

Greater efforts will be made to support major water-related construction projects and strengthen risk control and hazard management at Yangshan Port and nearby waters with focus on preventing collisions between commercial and fishing vessels and ships with bridges, the document says.

A multi-faceted governance approach will be taken for commercial and fishing vessels, while the joint law enforcement mechanism integrating maritime, coast guard, and fishery authorities will be strengthened in order to prevent and mitigate major maritime safety risks.

The document also underlines the need to address the risks of new business models in shipping sector, such as offshore wind power, green fuel bunkering, new energy vessels, and smart ships, through strengthened risk identification and management. It calls for continuous efforts to build a co-governance framework for waterway traffic safety.

The document says the administration will explore institutional innovation in terms of international ship registration, including opening statutory ship inspections and optimizing employment systems for foreign crew members.

The International Ship Registration Service Center in Lin-gang Special Area. [Photo/WeChat account: shmsawx]

It aims to explore cross-sector integrated processing for ship registration and related matters such as ship operation, inspection, and financing, aiming to strengthen the linkage between maritime services and finance and insurance, the document says, adding that a pilot program will be implemented to relax restrictions on foreign equity ratios for owners of finance lease vessels.

There will be active exploration of the "maritime mediation + temporary arbitration" model for dispute resolution, with the goal of making the Lin-gang Special Area a preferred location for resolving international maritime disputes.

The action plan also supports maritime policy and service provision for emerging business models in the shipping sector and is committed to supporting the establishment of an international center for maritime green fuel bunkering.

It supports accelerating the training of a ship crew workforce for green and intelligent vessels in the Lin-gang Special Area, as well as the establishment of the International Seafarers' Rights Protection Center.

The plan emphasized the administration's support for the construction of a multimodal transport center for the Yangtze River Economic Belt, promoting cost reduction and efficiency improvement in the sector.

An aerial view of a terminal at Yangshan Port. [Photo/WeChat account: shmsawx]

Additional measures include supporting transshipment and consolidation at Yangshan Port, facilitating cross-border e-commerce and re-export trade, improving seafarer employment channels by attracting high-quality agencies to the Lin-gang Special Area, and enhancing government service efficiency.