Web Alert: China MSA recommendations & control measures for ships navigating in restricted visibility off Fujian waters

The club's correspondent in China (Huatai) has recently issued circular 1704 highlighting the increasing number of navigational incidents due to poor visibility along the coast of Fujian province in China.

Apparently the statistics published by Fujian maritime authorities for the years from 2011 to 2015 reveal that around 16% of the human errors that caused maritime incidents in Fujian waters violated relevant provisions regarding navigation in fog. Meanwhile, poor visibility is the leading environmental factor, leading to 29% of collision incidents.

Following on from these incidents the Maritime Safety Administration (MSA) has also introduced temporary control measures under restricted visibility condition. Members with ships calling the ports of Xiamen, Quanzhou, Fuzhou, Luoyuan, Songxia and Jiangyin are recommended to observe these measures for the duration of the fog season in May.