Chinese law requires owners of ships carrying oil or other hazardous cargo in bulk, or any vessel over 10,000gt, to have made a contract with a qualified clean up company prior to calling at any Chinese port. The requirement has been in force since 1st January 2012. Ministry of Transport published a Notice on 18th March 2015, abolishing the SPRO qualification approval process. The IG has been informed by its legal advisor in Beijing that the abolition of the approval process will take effect following the formal amendment of the regulation, which is currently awaiting the State Council's approval.
The Chinese Supreme People's Court recently issued an important direction on the practice and procedure to be adopted by regional courts in ship arrests and judicial sale. The Judicial Interpretation for Ship Arrest and Judicial Sale of 28th February, 2015 (the "Interpretation") became immediately effective on 1st March.
Enforcement of Guarantees in China
23/10/2014
Marc Jackson reviews the problematic issues of enforcing guarantees provided by Chinese guarantors in China.
China SPROs Updated IG FAQs - 8 January 2014
08/01/2014
The International Group FAQs in respect of China's pollution regulations have been revised at 8th January 2014 and replace the previous edition
China SPROs Update IG FAQ
23/12/2011
The International Group (IG) has liaised further with the China MSA, and with various ship pollution response organisations (SPROs), Shipowners and other interested parties in order to clarify a number of issues and to work towards ensuring, so far as possible, that there are suitable contractual arrangements in place to permit Members to be able to comply with the Regulations as easily and efficiently as possible.
Delay in China OSRO listing
10/11/2011
The issue of lists of all approved oil spill response contractors in Chinese ports by China's MSA, and due for publication this October, has been postponed,