Date: 07 October 2023

Oasis Circular No.:2310

Subject: China MSA published a list of 38 high collision risk areas along Chinese coast

China MSA published an updated guideline on prevention of collisions between merchant vessels and fishing boats on 22 September 2023. A list of thirty-eight high risk areas in coastal waters of China were attached where vessels should strengthen proper lookout and maintain careful navigation to avoid collision with fishing boats.

The thirty-eight high risk areas are illustrated in the four charts below with notes on coordinates and characteristics.

l  High risk areas north of 35°N

(No.1-No.7 high risk areas)

1. Southeast waters of Qinhuangdao, an area connected by the four coordinates below:

a. 39°41'54.40"N, 119°38'20.32"E

b. 39°40'07.76"N, 119°39'36.30"E

c. 39°45'25.44"N, 119°51'51.78"E

d. 39°47'11.94"N, 119°50'23.06"E

Characteristics: 1. Navigation routes overlap with the areas where fishing boats operate; 2. There are many vessels and fishing boats in this area; 3. Many collision incidents between vessels and fishing boats happened in nearby waters in recent years.

2. East waters of Caofeidian, an area connected by the four coordinates below:

a. 38°45'34.00"N, 118°45'00.00"E

b. 38°43'46.00"N, 119°07'25.00"E

c. 38°50'15.00"N, 119°08'10.00"E

d. 38°51'47.00"N, 118°46'05.00"E

Characteristics: 1. This area is located at the eastern end of the Caofeidian ship routing system, which is the only route for vessels from Laotieshan waterway to Caofeidian and Tianjin ports with many large vessels passing through; 2. Fishing boats’ southbound route from Daqing river Weidong fishing farm crosses with the above mentioned routes; 3. Vessels have high chance to collide with fishing boats when they are anchoring and fishing in this area.

3. Northeast waters of Huanghua, an area connected by the six coordinates below:

a. 38°32'15.00"N, 118°30'01.00"E

b. 38°29'13.00"N, 118°30'39.00"E

c. 38°26'53.00"N, 118°06'00.00"E

d. 38°35'41.00"N, 118°06'00.00"E

e. 38°35'41.00"N, 118°08'27.00"E

f. 38°30'23.00"N, 118°08'27.00"E

Characteristics: 1. Fishing boats’ routes crosses with the two main navigation channels of Huanghua when entering and leaving Nanpai river fishing farm; 2. When vessels entering or leaving Huanghua port via Changshan waterway and Laotieshan waterway, their routes overlap with fishing boats’ routes; 3. There is a risk of collision between fishing boats and engineering vessels which engage in dredging operations in Huanghua port.

4. Lvshun deep waterway, an area connected by the four coordinates below:

a. 39°15'25.2"N, 121°00'38.4"E

b. 38°56'45.6"N, 120°57'03.0"E

c. 38°57'21.6"N, 120°50'27.6"E

d. 39°16'21.0"N, 120°52'25.2"E

Characteristics: 1. Vessel’s routes overlap with the areas where fishing boats operate; 2. There are many vessels and fishing boats in this area; 3. Many collision incidents between vessels and fishing boats happened in nearby waters in recent years.

5. Dalian Bay and Dayao Bay waters, an area within a circle of a radius of 9 nautical miles with its center at:38°53'36.0"N, 121°53'45.6"E.

Characteristics: 1. Vessel’s routes overlap with the areas where fishing boats operate; 2. There are many vessels and fishing boats in this area; 3. Many collision incidents between vessels and fishing boats happened in nearby waters in recent years.

6. Laotieshan waterway, an area within a circle of a radius of 6.5 nautical miles with its center at:38°35'51.4"N, 120°55'14.9"E.

Characteristics: 1. Vessel’s routes overlap with the areas where fishing boats operate; 2. There are many vessels and fishing boats in this area; 3. The East-West routes and North-South routes of Laotieshan waterway cross with each other and the traffic environment is complex; 4. Many collision incidents between vessels and fishing boats happened in nearby waters in recent years.

7. East of Laotieshan waterway, an area connected by the four coordinates below:

a. 38°26'00"N, 121°01'00"E

b. 38°30'00"N, 121°04'00"E

c. 38°27'00"N, 121°30'00"E

d. 38°16'30"N, 121°24'30"E

Characteristics: 1. Vessel’s routes overlap with the areas where fishing boats operate; 2. There are many vessels and fishing boats in this area; 3. Many collision incidents between vessels and fishing boats happened in nearby waters in the past 10 years.

(No.8-No.13 high risk areas)

8. West of Changshan waterway, an area connected by the four coordinates below:

a. 38°00'00"N, 120°16'00"E

b. 38°08'30"N, 120°16'00"E

c. 38°08'30"N, 120°31'00"E

d. 38°00'00"N, 120°31'00"E

Characteristics: 1. Vessel’s routes overlap with the areas where fishing boats operate; 2. There are many vessels and fishing boats in this area; 3. Many collision incidents between vessels and fishing boats happened in nearby waters in the past 10 years.

9. East of Changshan waterway, an area connected by the four coordinates below:

a. 37°55'18.6"N, 121°22'07.2"E

b. 37°51'39.0"N, 121°21'00.0"E

c. 37°55'10.8"N, 121°02'57.0"E

d. 37°58'54.0"N, 121°04'13.8"E

Characteristics: 1. Vessel’s routes overlap with the areas where fishing boats operate; 2. There are many vessels and fishing boats in this area; 3. Many collision incidents between vessels and fishing boats happened in nearby waters in the past 10 years.

10. North of Weihai waters, an area connected by the four coordinates below:

a. 37°42'57.6"N, 122°14'49.8"E

b. 37°37'43.2"N, 122°12'48.0"E

c. 37°42'25.2"N, 121°54'32.4"E

d. 37°47'39.6"N, 121°56'32.4"E

Characteristics: 1. Vessel’s customary routes overlap with the areas where fishing boats operate; 2. There are many vessels and fishing boats in this area; 3. Vessel’s routes are close to fishery port waters, which makes vessels encounter with inbound and outbound fishing boats; 4. Many collision incidents between vessels and fishing boats happened in nearby waters in recent years.

11. North of Chengshantou, an area within a circle of a radius of 6.5 nautical miles with its center at: 37°40'54.5"N, 122°40'41.9"E.

Characteristics: 1. Vessel’s routes overlap with the areas where fishing boats operate; 2. There are many vessels and fishing boats in this area; 3. Many collision incidents between vessels and fishing boats happened in nearby waters in recent years.

12. Southeast of Shidao navigable waters, an area connected by the four coordinates below:

a. 36°31'57.0"N, 122°44'45.6"E

b. 36°58'37.8"N, 122°44'45.6"E

c. 36°58'37.8"N, 122°53'51.0"E

d. 36°31'57.0"N, 122°53'51.0"E

Characteristics: 1. Vessel’s customary routes overlap with the areas where fishing boats operate; 2. There are many vessels and fishing boats in this area; 3. Many collision incidents between vessels and fishing boats happened in nearby waters in recent years; 4. Ocean-going fishing boats that pass through this area are likely to run into passing-by vessels.

13. South of Weihai waters, an area connected by the four coordinates below:

a. 36°47'06.0"N, 122°37'51.0"E

b. 36°26'10.8"N, 122°15'46.8"E

c. 36°36'24.0"N, 122°06'04.8"E

d. 36°50'37.8"N, 122°34'29.4"E

Characteristics: 1. Vessel’s routes overlap with the areas where fishing boats operate; 2. There are many vessels and fishing boats in this area; 3. Many collision incidents between vessels and fishing boats happened in nearby waters in recent years; 4. Many vessels anchor, enter or leave the port in nearby waters which is packed of operating fishing boats and the risk of collision is high.

l  High risk areas between north of 35°N and north of 26°30'N

(No.14 high risk area)

14. Sheyang estuary waters, an area within a circle of a radius of 4.5 nautical miles with its center at:33°52'17.8"N, 120°35'26.5"E.

Characteristics: 1. Vessel’s routes overlap with the areas where fishing boats operate; 2. There are many vessels and fishing boats in this area; 3. Many collision incidents between vessels and fishing boats happened in nearby waters in recent years.

(No.15-No.17 high risk areas)

15. East of Nantong Lvsi fishing port, an areaconnected by the four coordinates below:

a. 32°07'24.6"N, 122°25'53.4"E

b. 32°23'24.6"N, 122°25'53.4"E

c. 32°23'24.6"N, 122°38'18.6"E

d. 32°07'24.6'N, 122°38'18.6"E

Characteristics: 1. Vessel’s routes overlap with the areas where fishing boats operate; 2. There are many vessels and fishing boats in this area; 3. Many collision incidents between vessels and fishing boats happened in nearby waters in recent years.

16. North of CJK waters, an area connected by the four coordinates below:

a. 32°13'54"N, 122°59'30"E

b. 32°13'54"N, 122°55'12.8"E

c. 31°38'12"N, 122°55'12.8"E

d. 31°38'12"N, 122°59'30"E

Characteristics: 1. Vessel’s customary North-South routes overlap with the areas where fishing boats operate; 2. There are many vessels and fishing boats in this area; 3. Many collision incidents between vessels and fishing boats happened in nearby waters with most frequent locations between 122°45'E and 123°E.

17. West of Haijiao navigational route, an area connected by the four coordinates below:

a. 30°34'09.0"N, 122°58'30.6"E

b. 30°48'36.0"N, 122°58'30.6"E

c. 30°48'36.0"N, 123°01'52.2"E

d. 30°34'09.0"N, 123°01'52.2"E

Characteristics: 1. Vessel’s routes overlap with the areas where fishing boats operate; 2. There are many vessels and fishing boats in this area; 3. Many collision incidents between vessels and fishing boats happened in nearby waters in recent years.

(No.18-No.20 high risk areas)

18. Xiaobanmen and Zhoushan, Ningbo adjacent waters, an area connected by the four coordinates below:

a. 29°54'15.6"N, 122°39'48.0"E

b. 29°54'00.6"N, 122°37'00.0"E

c. 30°20'50.4"N, 122°34'53.4"E

d. 30°21'05.4'N, 122°37'40.8"E

Characteristics: 1. Vessel’s routes overlap with the areas where fishing boats operate; 2. There are many vessels and fishing boats in this area; 3. Many collision incidents between vessels and fishing boats happened in nearby waters in recent years.

19. East of Waishuaijiao adjacent waters, an area within a circle of a radius of 5.5 nautical miles with its center at: 30°09'57.2"N, 123°00'22.3"E.

Characteristics: 1. Vessel’s routes overlap with the areas where fishing boats operate; 2. There are many vessels and fishing boats in this area; 3. Many collision incidents between vessels and fishing boats happened in nearby waters in recent years.

20. Xiangshan section of outer navigational route of Zhejiang coastal waters, an area connected by the four coordinates below:

a. 29°24'12.0"N, 122°33'03.6"E

b. 29°03'54.0"N, 122°20'08.4"E

c. 29°06'18.6"N, 122°15'06.0"E

d. 29°26'29.4"N, 122°28'01.2"E

Characteristics: 1. Vessel’s routes overlap with the areas where fishing boats operate; 2. There are many vessels and fishing boats in this area; 3. Many collision incidents between vessels and fishing boats happened in nearby waters in recent years.

(No.21-No.23 high risk areas)

21. Wenling section of west navigational route of Zhejiang coastal waters, an area connected by the four coordinates below:

a. 28°15'00.0"N, 121°47'37.2"E

b. 28°05'16.8"N, 121°38'07.2"E

c. 28°07'06.0"N, 121°35'45.0"E

d. 28°16'58.2"N, 121°45'04.8"E

Characteristics: 1. Vessel’s routes overlap with the areas where fishing boats operate; 2. There are many vessels and fishing boats in this area; 3. Many collision incidents between vessels and fishing boats happened in nearby waters in recent years.

22. Dongtou adjacent waters, an area connected by the four coordinates below:

a. 27°48'06.6"N, 121°21'17.4"E

b. 27°40'49.8"N, 121°12'31.8"E

c. 27°42'56.4"N, 121°10'32.4"E

d. 27°50'10.2"N, 121°19'15.6"E

Characteristics: 1. Vessel’s routes overlap with the areas where fishing boats operate; 2. There are many vessels and fishing boats in this area; 3. Many collision incidents between vessels and fishing boats happened in nearby waters in recent years.

23. Aojiangkou adjacent waters, an area connected by the four coordinates below:

a. 27°33'06.6"N, 120°51'24.0"E

b. 27°25'12.0"N, 120°44'38.4"E

c. 27°26'34.2"N, 120°42'45.6"E

d. 27°34'27.0"N, 120°49'29.4"E

Characteristics: 1. Vessel’s routes overlap with the areas where fishing boats operate; 2. There are many vessels and fishing boats in this area; 3. Many collision incidents between vessels and fishing boats happened in nearby waters in recent years.

l  High risk areas between north of 26°30'N and north of 12°N

(No.24-No.28 high risk areas)

24. Southeast of Dongyin island waters, an area connected by the four coordinates below:

a. 26°12'26.1"N, 120°39'42.2"E

b. 26°07'21.1"N, 120°46'48.3"E

c. 25°56'36.5'N, 120°38'47.8"E

d. 26°01'37.2"N, 120°31'41.2"E

Characteristics: 1. Vessel’s routes overlap with the areas where fishing boats operate, and there are many vessels and fishing boats in this area; 2. Fishing boats do not have fixed ways of operation which makes their dynamics difficult to be identified by vessels; 3. It is often difficult to establish effective contact with fishing boats, and collision incident may happen due to lack of smooth communication and coordinated actions; 4. Vessels in this area are normally with large tonnage, fast speed, and high inertia which could cause significant losses to the fishing boats if collision incidents occur between vessels and fishing boats; 5. Many collision incidents between vessels and fishing boats happened in recent years.

25. East of Niushan island, an area connected by the four coordinates below:

a. 25°14'25.2"N, 119°52'42.0'E

b. 25°16'04.8"N, 119°49'47.4"E

c. 25°27'54.0"N, 119°58'52.2"E

d. 25°26'14.4"N, 120°01'46.8"E

Characteristics: 1. Many collision incidents between vessels and fishing boats happened over the years with the collision risk of red warning; 2. Vessel’s routes overlap with the areas where fishing boats operate.

26. Southeast of Nanri island, an area connected by the four coordinates below:

a. 25°02'40.8"N, 119°32'25.8"E

b. 25°04'51.6"N, 119°30'49.2"E

c. 25°12'34.2"N, 119°42'15.6"E

d. 25°10'24.6"N, 119°43'50.4"E

Characteristics: 1. Vessel’s routes overlap with the areas where fishing boats operate; 2. There are many vessels and fishing boats in this area; 3. Many collision incidents between vessels and fishing boats happened in recent years.

27. Southwest of Wuqiuyu, an area connected by the four coordinates below:

a. 24°53'37.3"N, 119°23'05.2"E

b. 24°50'16.9"N, 119°25'36.0"E

c. 24°43'42.9"N, 119°16'41.5"E

d. 24°47'00.0"N, 119°14'07.3"E

Characteristics: 1. Vessel’s routes overlap with the areas where fishing boats operate; 2. There are many vessels and fishing boats in this area; 3. Many collision incidents between vessels and fishing boats happened in recent years.

28. Dongding adjacent waters of Xiamen bay mouth, an area connected by the four coordinates below:

a. 24°05'16.2"N, 118°14'26.4"E

b. 24°07'18.6"N, 118°12'45.6"E

c. 24°15'22.2"N, 118°23'00.0"E

d. 24°13'18.0"N, 118°24'45.0"E

Characteristics: 1.Many collision incidents between vessels and fishing boats happened over the years with the collision risk of red warning; 2. Vessel’s routes overlap with the areas where fishing boats operate.

(No.29-No.33 high risk areas)

29. Futou bay mouth, an area connected by the four coordinates below:

a. 23°43'19.8"N, 117°44'32.4"E

b. 23°44'54.0"N, 117°43'10.8"E

c. 23°53'53.4"N, 117°54'41.4"E

d. 23°52'18.6"N, 117°56'04.2"E

Characteristics: 1. Many collision incidents between vessels and fishing boats happened over the years with the collision risk of red warning; 2. Vessel’s routes overlap with the areas where fishing boats operate.

30. YuedongBiaojiao waters, an area connected by the four coordinates below:

a. 23°12'09.6"N, 116°54'07.2"E

b. 23°04'21.0"N, 116°44'48.0"E

c. 23°07'02.4"N, 116°42'13.8"E

d. 23°14'52.8"N, 116°51'33.6"E

Characteristics: 1. There is a busy fishing port in nearby waters and vessels’ routes cross with frequent inbound and outbound fishing boats; 2. There are many vessels and fishing boats in this area; 3. Many collision incidents between vessels and fishing boats happened in nearby waters in recent years.

31. YuedongZhelangjiao waters, an area connected by the four coordinates below:

a. 22°30'36.0"N, 115°31'49.8"E

b. 22°25'45.0"N, 115°15'52.2"E

c. 22°33'16.2"N, 115°13'21.0"E

d. 22°38'06.6"N, 115°29'26.4"E

Characteristics: 1. Vessel’s routes are close to the fishing port; 2. Vessel’s routes overlap with the areas where fishing boats operate; 3. There are many vessels and fishing boats in this area; 4. Collision incidents between vessels and fishing boats happened in nearby waters in recent years.

32. Dangan waters of pearl river estuary, an area within a circle of a radius of 4 nautical miles with its center at:22°06'24.8"N, 114°12'40.3"E.

Characteristics: 1. Inbound and outbound vessels and fishing boats cross with each other; 2. Vessel’s routes overlap with the areas where fishing boats operate; 3. There are many vessels and fishing boats in this area; 4. Collision incidents between vessels and fishing boats happened in nearby waters in recent years.

33. Guishan waters of pearl river estuary, an area within a circle of a radius of 4 nautical miles with its center at: 22°08'10.0"N, 113°48'32.8"E.

Characteristics: 1. Inbound and outbound vessels and fishing boats cross with each other; 2. Vessel’s routes overlap with the areas where fishing boats operate; 3. There are many vessels and fishing boats in this area; 4. Collision incidents happened between vessels and fishing boats in nearby waters in recent years.

(No.34-No.38 high risk areas)

34. North entrance of Qiongzhou strait north waterway, an area within a circle of a radius of 4 nautical miles with its center at: 20°31'19.9"N, 110°58'04.8"E.

Characteristics: 1. Inbound and outbound vessels and fishing boats cross with each other; 2. Vessel’s routes overlap with the areas where fishing boats operate; 3. There are many vessels and fishing boats in this area; 4. Collision incidents between vessels and fishing boats happened in nearby waters in recent years.

35. East entrance of Qiongzhou strait middle waterway, an area connected by the four coordinates below:

a. 20°14'00.6"N, 111°05'04.8"E

b. 20°13'59.4"N, 110°57'46.2"E

c. 20°16'41.4"N, 110°57'24.6"E

d. 20°19'19.2"N, 111°04'25.2"E

Characteristics: 1. Inbound and outbound vessels and fishing boats cross with each other; 2. Vessel’s routes overlap with the areas where fishing boats operate; 3. There are many vessels and fishing boats in this area; 4. Collision incidents between vessels and fishing boats happened in nearby waters in recent years.

36. West entrance of Qiongzhou strait, an area within a circle of a radius of 5 nautical miles with its center at: 20°08'21.8"N, 109°51'06.1"E.

Characteristics: 1. Vessel’s routes overlap with the areas where fishing boats operate; 2. There are many vessels and fishing boats in this area; 3. Many collision incidents between vessels and fishing boats happened in nearby waters in recent years.

37. Southern section of west navigational route of Weizhou island, an area connected by the four coordinates below:

a. 20°37'24.0"N, 109°27'27.0"E

b. 20°31'31.2"N, 109°21'32.4"E

c. 20°47'22.8"N, 109°05'37.8"E

d. 20°53'00.6"N, 109°11'37.2"E

Characteristics: 1. Vessel’s routes overlap with the areas where fishing boats operate; 2. There are many vessels and fishing boats in this area, and the west navigational route of Weizhou island is the main route of entering and leaving Beibuwan port.

38. Southern waters of Qinzhoubay, an area within a circle of a radius of 4 nautical miles with its center at: 21°27'38.5'N, 108°38'07.1"E.

Characteristics: 1. Vessel’s routes overlap with the areas where fishing boats operate; 2. There are many vessels and fishing boats in this area where several routes of Beibuwan port cross with each other, and the navigational environment is complex.

Suggestions

1. Be familiar with the starting and ending dates of the fishing ban periods. Carry out relevant safety training on the characteristics of fishing areas and fishing boats.

2. Avoid the traditional fish farms and fishing areas. When choosing a route, vessels shall stay properly away from shore, apply the recommended routes carefully and strictly follow the relevant ship routing system.

3. Fully comply with relevant provisions of COLREGS 1972 and Safety Management System, ensure there is proper and sufficient lookout, keep a safe speed and take early avoidance actions.  

4. In the process of avoiding fishing boats, ship officers shall consider the particular operational characteristics of the fishing boat involved. If effective radio communication cannot be established between the vessel and the fishing boat, all other available means shall be used to warn the fishing boats of the risk of collision.

5. Be familiar with the Guideline for the Prevention of Collision between Merchant Vessels and Fishing vessels in Coastal Waters of China issued by China MSA on 22 September 2023 (see attached).

6. In case a collision incident occurs or is suspected to have occurred, rescue operation shall be immediately carried out taking into consideration various factors such as safety of the ship and her crew, the surrounding environment etc. Meanwhile, the ship shall contact the nearest VTS/MSA via VHF or their emergency telephone no. +86 12395 as soon as possible. The ship’s agents, P&I Club and its correspondent should also be informed.  

We hope the above is of assistance. If there is any query, please feel free to contact us at oasis@oasispandi.com anytime. 

Best regards,

Oasis P&I Services Company Limited 

Attachment:

Guideline for the Prevention of Collision between Merchant Vessels and Fishing Vessels in Coastal Waters of China issued by China MSA on 22 September 2023