MaritimeCodeofthePeople'sRepublicofChina(Adoptedatthe28thMeetingoftheStandingCommitteeoftheSeventhNationalPeople'sCongressonNovember7,1992andpromulgatedbyOrderNo.64ofthePresidentofthePeople'sRepublicofChinaonNovember7,1992)ContentsChapterIGeneralProvisionsChapterIIShipsSection1OwnershipofShipsSection2MortgageofShipsSection3MaritimeLiensChapterIIICrewSection1BasicPrinciplesSection2TheMasterChapterIVContractofCarriageofGoodsbySeaSection1BasicPrinciplesSection2Carrier'sResponsibilitiesSection3Shipper'sResponsibilitiesSection4TransportDocumentsSection5DeliveryofGoodsSection6CancellationofContractSection7SpecialProvisionsRegardingVoyageCharterPartySection8SpecialProvisionsRegardingMultimodalTransportContractChapterVContractofCarriageofPassengersbySeaChapterVICharterPartiesSection1BasicPrinciplesSection2TimeCharterPartySection3BareboatCharterPartyChapterVIIContractofSeaTowageChapterVIIICollisionofShipsChapterIXSalvageatSeaChapterXGeneralAverageChapterXILimitationofLiabilityforMaritimeClaimsChapterXIIContractofMarineInsuranceSection1BasicPrinciplesSection2Conclusion,TerminationandAssignmentofContractSection3ObligationsoftheInsuredSection4LiabilityoftheInsurerSection5LossofandDamagetotheSubjectMatterInsuredandAbandonmentSection6PaymentofIndemnityChapterXIIILimitationofTimeChapterXIVApplicationofLawinRelationtoForeign-relatedMattersChapterXVSupplementaryProvisionsChapterIGeneralProvisionsArticle1ThisCodeisenactedwithaviewtoregulatingtherelationsarisingfrommaritimetransportandthosepertainingtoships,tosecuringandprotectingthelegitimaterightsandinterestsofthepartiesconcerned,andtopromotingthedevelopmentofmaritimetransport,economyandtrade.Article2MaritimetransportasreferredtointhisCodemeansthecarriageofgoodsandpassengersbysea,includingthesea-riverandriver-seadirecttransport.TheprovisionsconcerningcontractsofcarriageofgoodsbyseaascontainedinChapterIVofthisCodeshallnotbeapplicabletothemaritimetransportofgoodsbetweentheportsofthePeople'sRepublicofChina.Article3ShipasreferredtointhisCodemeanssea-goingshipsandothermobileunits,butdoesnotincludeshipsorcrafttobeusedformilitaryorpublicservicepurposes,norsmallshipsoflessthan20tonsgrosstonnage.Thetermshipasreferredtointheprecedingparagraphshallalsoincludeship'sapparel.Article4MaritimetransportandtowageservicesbetweentheportsofthePeople'sRepublicofChinashallbeundertakenbyshipsflyingthenationalflagofthePeople'sRepublicofChina,exceptasotherwiseprovidedforbylawsoradministrativerulesandregulations.NoforeignshipsmayengageinthemaritimetransportortowageservicesbetweentheportsofthePeople'sRepublicofChinaunlesspermittedbythecompetentauthoritiesoftransportandcommunicationsundertheStateCouncil.Article5ShipsareallowedtosailunderthenationalflagofthePeople'sRepublicofChinaafterbeingregistered,asrequiredbylaw,andgrantedthenationalityofthePeople'sRepublicofChina.ShipsillegallyflyingthenationalflagofthePeople'sRepublicofChinashallbeprohibitedandfinedbytheauthoritiesconcerned.Article6AllmatterspertainingtomaritimetransportshallbeadministeredbythecompetentauthoritiesoftransportandcommunicationsundertheStateCouncil.ThespecificmeasuresgoverningsuchadministrationshallbeworkedoutbysuchauthoritiesandimplementedafterbeingsubmittedtoandapprovedbytheStateCouncil.ChapterIIShipsSection1OwnershipofShipsArticle7Theownershipofashipmeanstheshipowner'srightstolawfullypossess,utilize,profitfromanddisposeoftheshipinhisownership.Article8WithrespecttoaState-ownedshipoperatedbyanenterpriseownedbythewholepeoplehavingalegalpersonstatusgrantedbytheState,theprovisionsofthisCoderegardingtheshipownershallapplytothatlegalperson.Article9Theacquisition,transferenceorextinctionoftheownershipofashipshallberegisteredattheshipregistrationauthorities;noacquisition,transferenceorextinctionoftheship'sownershipshallactagainstathirdpartyunlessregistered.Thetransferenceoftheownershipofashipshallbemadebyacontractinwriting.Article10Whereashipisjointlyownedbytwoormorelegalpersonsorindividuals,thejointownershipthereofshallberegisteredattheshipregistrationauthorities.Thejointownershipoftheshipshallnotactagainstathirdpartyunlessregistered.Section2MortgageofShipsArticle11Therightofmortgagewithrespecttoashipistherightofpreferredcompensationenjoyedbythemortgageeofthatshipfromtheproceedsoftheauctionsalemadeinaccordancewithlawwhereandwhenthemortgagorfailstopayhisdebttothemortgageesecuredbythemortgageofthatship.Article12Theownerofashiporthoseauthorizedtherebymayestablishthemortgageoftheship.Themortgageofashipshallbeestablishedbyacontractinwriting.Article13Themortgageofashipshallbeestablishedbyregisteringthemortgageoftheshipwiththeshipregistrationauthoritiesjointlybythemortgageeandthemortgagor.Nomortgagemayactagainstathirdpartyunlessregistered.Themainitemsfortheregistrationofthemortgageofashipshallbe:(1)Nameordesignationandaddressofthemortgageeandthenameordesignationandaddressofthemortgagoroftheship;(2)Nameandnationalityofthemortgagedshipandtheauthoritiesthatissuedthecertificateofownershipandthecertificatenumberthereof;(3)Amountofdebtsecured,theintere