Chinese Military Drills - Taiwan

In light of the military exercises China are currently conducting around the surrounding waters of Taiwan, the Association’s correspondent, Taiwan Transport Insurance Services Ltd. (TTIS) has sent us the attached notices issued by the Maritime and Port Bureau and the MOTC.

The Maritime and Port Bureau, Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) in Taiwan issued a notice to all mariners for the military exercise held by China. It is noted that the warning zones are very close to Taiwan’s major commercial ports, including Keelung, Suao, Taipei, Kaohsiung, Anping, Hoping and Hualien, and therefore navigation and safety will inevitably be affected. The authority suggests that all vessels take alternative routes to avoid these zones. The duration of the military exercise is 3 days, starting from 1200 hours of 4 Aug until 12:00 7 Aug 2022.  

Here are the coordinates of the warning zones.  

1. East of Taiwan – 

  1. A. N22-56/E122-40
  2. B. N23-38/E122-51
  3. C. N23-38/E123-23
  4. D. N22-56/E123-09

2. North of Taiwan – 

Zone 1:

  1. A. N25-15-26/E120-29-20
  2. B. N24-50-30/E120-05-45
  3. C. N25-04-32/E119-51-22
  4. D. N25-28-12/E120-14-30

Zone 2:

  1. E. N26-07/E121-57
  2. F. N25-30/E121-57
  3. G. N25-30/E121-28
  4. H. N26-07/E121-28

Zone 3:

  1. I. N25-34/E122-50
  2. J. N25-03/E122-50
  3. K. N25-03/E122-11
  4. L. N/25-34/E122-11

3. South of Taiwan - 

Zone 1:

  1. A. N21-14/E121-33
  2. B. N21-33/E121-18
  3. C. N21-07/E120-43
  4. D. N20-48/E120-59

Zone 2:

  1. M. N22-43/E119-14
  2. N. N22-10/E119-06
  3. O. N21-33/E120-29
  4. P. N22-09/E120-32

Referring to the attachment, ‘MOTC_22-268.pdf’, the following is a free translation:

 

Regarding the military exercises conducted by PRC from 10:00 on August 4 to 10:00 on 10th August 2022, vessels are urged to avoid the following areas by using alternate routes to maintain navigation safety.

Eastern waters location coordinate：

A

23°40′00″ 

122°30′00″ 

 

B

23°40′00” N 

122°54′00″E

 

C

23°13′00″ N

122°54′00″ E

 

D

23°13′00″ N

122°30′00″ E

(Four Point connection)

 

Location coordinates：

A

23°40′00″ 

122°30′00″ 

 

B

23°40′00” N 

122°54′00″E

 

C

23°13′00″ N

122°54′00″ E

 

D

23°13′00″ N

122°30′00″ E  (WGS 84 Datum)  

 

Members should get in touch with their usual Club contacts with any queries regarding the above.

Neil Beckwith

Correspondent Manager/Senior Claims Executive

Date04/08/2022

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In order to implement the amendment to The Prevention and Control of Solid Waste Law, the Chinese government announced the complete ban of imports of solid waste from January 1, 2021.

UK Club Correspondent Huatai Marine have provided the below Circular (available in both English and Chinese)

The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) has issued a new Advisory A‐15‐2017 which clarifies certain issues relating to requirements under the ACP's fuel regulations for all vessels transiting the Panama Canal.

The MoUs of Paris and Tokyo will carry out a joint Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) on Navigational Safety from September to November 2017.

The Panama Canal Authority issued and released the attached Advisory to Shipping No. A-04-2017 regarding manoeuvring requirements in Panama Canal waters.

The UK Club have received the following circular from the UAE Federal Transport Authority, regarding the conditions on oil and products cargoes operations in UAE ports, territorial waters and in the exclusive economic zones with immediate effect.

Members are advised that there will be temporary restrictions in place in the vicinity of Sentosa Island during the planned summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Members are referred to the Alert issued by the Association on 21/04/2017 relating to the Panama Canal Advisory A-15-2017: Modification to Fuel Requirements in Canal Waters.

Reference is made to the most recent update from the Club, giving notification of the new tariff for pollution fines in Turkish waters. Particular attention should be given to the fact that these administrative fines imposed by the Environmental Protection Agency, pursuant to the Turkish Environmental Code (EC), are drastically increased in comparison to previous tariffs.

The UK Club has received the attached circular from the Port of Fujairah Marine Department, regarding a recent ban on open loop scrubbers within the port.

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China has ratified the Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks 2007 and the Convention will enter into force in China from 11 February 2017. The Chinese MSA published a notice on the application procedure for WRC Certificates.

The Club wishes to bring to Members' attention that during the recent XIX Party Congress in Beijing, the local authorities in China implemented enhanced security measures at all ports. We were aware of a number of cases where crew members were required by local authorities to surrender their mobile phones or other electronic devices for inspection when ships call at ports in China. Those inspections appeared to have been conducted at random, of if a ship was specifically identified as posing a security threat.

China has ratified the Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks 2007 and the Convention will enter into force in China from 11 February 2017. 

The UK P&I Club have received the following update from Oasis P&I Services, on the implementation of a ban on the transportation of highly toxic chemicals in the Yangtze River basin in China

These Guiding Opinions will be of assistance to all Members trading to or from China, or who are currently involved in litigation proceedings in China. 

This Legal Briefing provides a quick overview of the cabotage regimes in Argentina, Brazil, China, Colombia, India, Peru and the United States, highlighting the restrictions, the exceptions, and penalties for violating these regulations.

The following table lists countries which have imposed bans on vessels fitted with open-loop SOx scrubbers calling at their ports, and on the discharge of washwater from these scrubber systems within their port waters.

With its team of risk assessors, the UK Club is in a unique position to gather data and target areas of risk onboard ships.