Do not cross Tuoji Shuidao without Authorisation - Huatai Marine Circular

Club would like to bring to the attention of Members recently released circular PNI [2025] 03.  From our correspondents Huatai Marine in China, the circular reminds vessels not to illegally cross Tuoji Shuidao (Tuoji Waterway) without authorisation. “Such unauthorized crossing may not only result in administrative penalties but also highly likely lead to severe navigation accidents such as collisions, groundings, and reef-strikes that pose a significant threat to the safety of navigation.”

The circular provides details of what constitutes Tuoji Shuidao before going on to say that “In recent years, some ships, unaware of the prohibited navigation regulations in the Tuoji Shuidao, have mistakenly chosen this route to enter or exit the Bohai Strait, resulting in administrative penalties imposed by the MSA.”

Members should distribute this Circular to all owned/managed vessels to ensure that Masters and officers are fully aware of the following:

1. “Crossing the Tuoji Shuidao without authorization is an illegal act explicitly prohibited by the MSA; and

2. For merchant ships over 200 gt, only the Laotieshan Shuidao and the Changshan Shuidao are available for them when entering/leaving the Bohai Strait, all other waterways are prohibited from being accessed. Special attention should be paid to this requirement when ships planning their route entering/leaving the Bohai Strait.” 

For further information on the main public routes in the Bohai Sea and its Eastern Waters, together with Huatai’s suggestions for navigating in these waters please also refer to Huatai Circular PNI [2023] 12

The Club would also take this opportunity to remind Members sailing in the vicinity of the Bohai Strait and Chinese coastal waters of IN02 – Disposal of Food Wastes in Chinese Coasts, which provides details of the baselines for the territorial sea as published by the Chinese Government and also of the administrative fines being faced by ships dumping food wastes in Chinese Waters.