China – Shanghai port anti-pollution regulation effective from 1 JUNE 2015

    A new Shanghai port anti-pollution regulation for ships will take effect from 1 June 2015, although the new fuel standard will be issued at a later date. Under the new regulation vessels will be required to use only fuels that comply with the city’s quality standards. Violators will be fined between 10,000 yuan and 100,000 yuan (US $16,120), according to the new regulation.

The Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration was given the authority to issue fines to ship captains and vessel owners that discharge black smoke and a fuel standard will make enforcement easier.

The use of fuel is among 13 items added to the new regulation, a stricter version compared to the one now in use, which was created in 1996.

Other new items include a fine of up to 200,000 RMB for ships and boats caught discharging sewage into the Huangpu River or any of the city’s reservoirs. In the past, there was no fine.

Vessels will also be required to use electricity at the city’s ports while docked rather than burning high-polluting fuels for power. Loud motorboats will also be banned from Shanghai’s inland rivers to reduce noise, according to the new regulation.