China's Vessel Security System under the Background of the Revision of Maritime Traffic Safety Law of the People's Republic of China: Connotation and Development

Since the 21st century, piracy, armed hijacking and terrorist attacks have occurred frequently, threatening the safety of international maritime transportation and the interests of shipping enterprises. Under such circumstance, in order to satisfy the requirements of shipping development and respond to the maritime threats, the Maritime Traffic Safety Law of the People's Republic of China (2021) has been revised based on the notion of rationality and feasibility. This paper analyses the Articles 12, 32 and 38 of the Maritime Traffic Safety Law of the People's Republic of China (2021), which jointly constitute the legal basis of China's vessel security system. Such security system is applicable to the coastal waters under the jurisdiction of China, international ships of Chinese nationality and related maritime safety activities. We find the security system not only protects the safety of China's maritime transport activities, but also provides certain protection for the interests of shipping enterprises in various countries. At present, the provisions of the MTSL for the vessel security system are relatively general. To implement security vessel system in the future, China may refer to other countries' legislation and state practice to further apply these articles.