Fines for New China ECA Regs Detailed

A vessel found to be in breach of the new ECA rules will be fined between RMB10,000 and RMB100,000 ($1,550 to $15,500).

P&I club Skuld says Hai Tong law firm has advised it on the penalties vessels face for violating the recently announced Chinese Emissions Control Area (ECA) rules.

A vessel found to be in breach of the new ECA rules will be fined between RMB10,000 and RMB100,000 ($1,550 to $15,500).

It is currently unclear whether this amount will apply per incident, or per day of noncompliance.

Additionally, Hai Tong says the new regulations will require vessels to keep bunker documentation for three years, and fuel samples for one year, in order to assist authorities with regulation enforcement.

Failure to do so will attract a fine of between RMB2,000 to RMB10,000 ($310 to $1,550).

As Ship & Bunker previously reported, The ECAs will cover the Pearl River Delta (PRD), Yangtze River Delta (YRD), and Bohai Bay regions.

As of January 1, 2017 all ships calling at the core ports within China's new ECAs will be required to use fuel with no more than a 0.5 percent sulfur content while at berth, except during the first hour after arrival and the last hour before departure.

From January 1, 2018, the 0.5 percent at-berth fuel requirement will be extended to cover all ports within the ECAs, and then on January 1, 2019 the regulation will extend to require all ships operating within the waters of the PRD, YRD, and Bohai Bay regions.

Starting from January 1, 2016, the core ports within China's new ECAs will also have the option to implement voluntary sulfur regs.

Earlier this month Ship & Bunker reported that Shanghai is the only port currently considering such a move ahead of the mandatory introduction of at-berth regs on January 1, 2017.