Raising safety standards

The recent tragedy involving the partial sinking of cruise ship Costa Concordia has brought into sharp focus the adequacy of the current legal regimes governing the safety standards of passenger ships and their operators. While relevant discussions have begun at both international and national levels to assess the need to enhance existing regulations, some maritime nations are already taking practical measures to ensure that such an accident will not be repeated in the future. One such example is China's recent publication of the Announcement on Strengthening the Administration of Access to the Market for the International Carriage of Passengers by Sea (关于加强国际海上旅客运输市场准入管理的公告).

The swift regulatory response from China comes as no surprise to the international shipping industry given the rapid growth of its international passenger transportation sector in recent years. As the 2011-2012 China Cruise Development Report indicates, the number of cruise lines departing from mainland China increased by 17% in 2011 compared with the previous year. Such growth is facilitated by a commitment from the Ministry of Transport and the Bureau of Tourism to develop the industry by rolling out a series of measures to encourage cruise tourism. These include facilitating customs procedures for passengers and permitting Chinese companies to operate cruise liners.