Source: The Great Wall Network
The rectification on marine transport of inland vessels in Hebei coastal area was launched jointly by the Qinhuangdao Maritime Safety Administration and the Qinhuangdao Coast Guard on September 28, an illegal case was investigated and handled in the waters of Beidaihe.
This is a law enforcement patrol jointly carried out by Hebei Maritime Safety Administration and department of coast guard, public security, and coastal defense in Hebei Province. It was launched simultaneously in three coastal cities in Hebei (Qinhuangdao, Tangshan, Cangzhou) on September 28.
The patrol ships of “Hai Xun 0432” and “Hai Xun 04307” of the Qinhuangdao Maritime Safety Administration, and the “Shihenan” of the Qinhuangdao Coast Guard established a law enforcement patrol formation (hereinafter referred to as the “formation”), to inspect on anchorages and navigable dense waters in the jurisdiction.
The formation boards and investigates suspect ships.
The formation was sailing through the waters near the Qinhuangdao VTS at about 10:00 am while receiving report from the “Haixun 0432” patrol ship that a ship echo without AIS signals was found on the radar. The formation immediately turned and approached the target, a ship without name, number and home port, which looks like an inland vessel from 1.5 nautical miles away. They decided to board and investigate it, the “Haixun 0432” and “Shihenan” quickly approached from both sides of the suspect ship, warning to stop for inspection, and “Haixun 04307” kept watching.
At 10:40 in the morning, law enforcement officers successfully boarded the ship, discovering that the suspect ship was the inland watercraft “Xingzhao 1899”, the home port of Yangzhou, which was sailing outside its navigation zone, operated by a driver without license after being confirmed by the maritime mobile law enforcement face recognition system.
Qinhuangdao MSA officers investigate documents of the suspected ship.
According to Zhang Hebin, director of the seaport workstation of the Qinhuangdao Coast Guard, the investigation and punishment of inland ships involved in marine transportation consists of illegal equipment and personnel that do not meet the navigation safety requirements (imposed by the MSA); and unlicensed crew and improper name, number and home port (imposed by the coast guard). Penalties generally include warnings, fines, and arrest of ships, which may lead to public security detention in serious cases, so as to deter illegal acts of inland vessels involved in maritime transportation.
As of 15:00 on September 28, the vessel “Xingzhao 1899” had been brought back to the designated berth at the port for further investigation.
According to Zhang Yuanzhuo, director of the Navigation Management Office of the Qinhuangdao Maritime Safety Administration, “Inland ships sailing outside its navigation area face huge safety risks, and are prone to water traffic accidents. However, some people still take the risks because of the economic interests.”
The first municipal-level inland vessel’s rectification mechanism in Hebei province was released in Qinhuangdao City in September 2019. The “Blue Sea 2020” special law enforcement action was launched by the China Coast Guard, the Ministry of Transport and other 2 departments in April 2020, focusing on the illegal marine transport of inland vessels.
In the next step, the Qinhuangdao Maritime Safety Administration and the Qinhuangdao Coast Guard will continue to move forward side by side and work together to give full play to their respective advantages in databases, informatization methods, law enforcement capabilities, etc., to promote the normalization of joint patrol law enforcement actions, maintain high pressure on illegal marine acts, and make positive contributions to the continued safety and stability in the Qinhuangdao waters.
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