On December 10, the Press Office of the Shenzhen Municipal Government held a press conference on the Several Measures for Maritime Services to Support the High-Quality Development of Port and Shipping Industry (hereinafter referred to as the Several Measures). It is reported that the Several Measures released 16 specific innovative initiatives for maritime services to boost the high-quality development of the port and shipping sector, focusing on resolving the “bottleneck” issues that hinder the high-quality development of Shenzhen’s port and shipping industry.
In Supporting the Safe Development of Port and Shipping
Shenzhen will take the lead nationwide in implementing a “fair culture” mechanism for ship safety inspections. It will encourage frontline crew members to voluntarily report defects and reward those who report major ship hazards. Eligible vessels will enjoy preferential policies such as differentiated defect handling, safety inspection re-examinations, and maritime credit management. The city will further improve the emergency grid layout in Shenzhen waters, promote key projects including the construction of the Dapeng Emergency Search and Rescue Base in the eastern sea area and a maritime search and rescue emergency command vessel in the western sea area, to achieve instant emergency response in Shenzhen waters and inter-regional linkage response within 30 minutes in the Greater Bay Area.
In Supporting Green Development
Shenzhen will actively strive to bring the national-level simulation laboratory for safety supervision and emergency response of green fuel-powered ships to the city. It will accelerate the expansion of multiple refueling methods such as LNG berth refueling and anchorage refueling, and study and promote the refueling business of shipborne green fuels like green methanol and green ammonia, helping Shenzhen build a global hub for shipborne green fuel refueling.
In Supporting Smart Development
Shenzhen will cooperate with transportation, marine and other departments to increase the application of science and technology, break the regulatory information “silos” among various maritime management departments, realize the integration and sharing of port data, and better support the construction of smart ports such as Yantian Port East Area and Mawan Port. It will further deepen the integration of ship traffic organization to achieve “one-time reporting, full-domain passage” for arriving vessels.
In Creating an Optimal Business Environment
Shenzhen will implement the “non-stop operation for vessel registration transfer” policy and form a more mature rapid handling model involving maritime, transportation and ship inspection authorities. Meanwhile, it will fully promote self-service physical examinations for yacht driving license renewal, set up training programs for certificates such as basic crew safety training, allow Hong Kong-based crew members to work on ships registered in Shenzhen’s port of registry, and further improve port supporting services.
In Supporting the Efficient Development of the Industry
Shenzhen will vigorously advance the free movement of yachts in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, establish a “dual-registration” management model for Hong Kong and Macao yachts, formulate management measures for Hong Kong and Macao yacht drivers to operate yachts in Guangdong waters with valid certificates, and expand the scope of waters for Shenzhen’s yacht free movement. It will promote the construction of the Shenzhen International Ship Registration Center, help more ships register in “China Qianhai”, and enhance Shenzhen’s influence in the shipping industry.
It is understood that the “dual-registration” management model for Hong Kong and Macao yachts has innovated the management mechanism for the free movement of yachts in the Greater Bay Area:
- In nine mainland cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, namely Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Huizhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Jiangmen and Zhaoqing, a pilot policy allowing Hong Kong and Macao yachts to apply for temporary mainland ship nationality certificates has been implemented. Registered Hong Kong and Macao yachts will be managed in the same way as mainland vessels, improving the convenience experience of free yacht movement in the Greater Bay Area.
- A system for free yacht movement has been established. Led by maritime authorities, relevant departments and units have assessed and designated the first batch of 6 yacht entry-exit ports, delineated waters for yacht leisure activities and recommended routes, and issued supporting systems clarifying the scope of application, activity waters and management requirements for the free movement of yachts in the Greater Bay Area.
- Mechanism coordination among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao has been strengthened. The three regions have been promoted to sign yacht entry-exit agreements, clarifying the regulatory responsibilities and obligations of each party. Mutual recognition of yacht operator certificates among the three regions has been advanced, collaboration on yacht inspection with maritime management agencies in Hong Kong and Macao has been enhanced, Hong Kong and Macao yachts have been encouraged to equip with automatic identification systems in accordance with mainland standards, and the gradual unification of yacht inspection standards in the Greater Bay Area has been promoted.
At present, Shenzhen is accelerating the implementation of the maritime power strategy, speeding up the construction of a modern marine industry system with Shenzhen characteristics and advantages, and advancing the construction of an international hub port and an international shipping center with greater efforts.
