Properly Fly the Port State Flag to Avoid Administrative Penalties

正确悬挂港口国国旗，避免行政处罚

Dear Sir/Madam,

Recently, Huatai has dealt with a number of cases in which ships were punished by the Maritime Safety Administration (hereinafter referred to as the “MSA”) for failing to fly, improperly flying, or flying a damaged or defiled National Flag of the People's Republic of China. Meanwhile, we have also received relevant inquiries from the Clubs and their Members. In order to prevent the recurrence of similar cases, we hereby issue this Circular, introducing relevant laws, administrative regulations and

the legal basis of administrative penalty imposed by the maritime authority, and provide loss prevention suggestions for the Clubs and Members’ reference.

亲爱的先生/女士,

最近，华泰处理了多起船舶因未悬挂、不当悬挂或悬挂破损、污损的中华人民共和国国旗而被海事局(以下简称“海事局”)处罚的案件。同时，我们也收到了各俱乐部及其会员的相关咨询。为防止类似事件再次发生，特发布本通知，介绍相关法律、行政法规及海事主管部门行政处罚的法律依据，并提供防损建议，供各会员参考。

Laws and Regulations Relating to Ships Flying Chinese National Flag

悬挂中国国旗船舶法律法规

Laws and regulations relating to flying of the Chinese National Flag by ships include the “Maritime Traffic Safety Law of the People's Republic of China”, the “Measures for the Administration of Flying the National Flag by Ships”, and the “Law of the People's Republic of China on the National Flag”. The relevant provisions of the laws and regulations are quoted below:

有关船舶悬挂中国国旗的法律法规有《中华人民共和国海上交通安全法》、《船舶悬挂国旗管理办法》、《中华人民共和国国旗法》等。法律、法规的有关规定如下:

1. The “Maritime Traffic Safety Law of the People's Republic of China”, Article

10, Paragraph 1

Article 10 A ship may not navigate, berth, and carry out operations under the flag of China until it has applied to the maritime safety administration for ship nationality registration and obtained a nationality certificate in accordance with the applicable laws and administrative regulations on ship registration.

1. 《中华人民共和国海上交通安全法》第十条第一款

第十条船舶依照有关船舶登记的法律、行政法规的规定，向海事安全管理机构申请船舶国籍登记，取得国籍证书，方可悬挂中国国旗航行、停泊和作业。

2. The “Maritime Traffic Safety Law of the People's Republic of China”, Article

33, Paragraph 1

Article 33 To navigate, berth, and carry out operations, a ship shall hold a valid nationality certificate and other statutory certificates and documents, be equipped with navigational books and materials published in accordance with relevant provisions, fly the flag of the relevant country, region or organization, and indicate its name, identification number, port of registry, and load line mark.

2. 《中华人民共和国海上交通安全法》第三十三条第一款

第三十三条 船舶航行、停泊和作业，应当持有有效的国籍证书和其他法定的证书、文件，配备按照规定出版的航行书籍、资料，悬挂有关国家、地区或者组织的旗帜，标明船名、识别号码、船籍港，和载重线标记。

3. The “Measures for the Administration of Flying the National Flag on Ships”, Article 6

Article 6 Foreign ships entering the inland waters, ports and anchorages of the People's Republic of China shall fly the Chinese National Flag daily.

3. 《船舶悬挂国旗管理办法》第六条

进入中华人民共和国内水、港口、锚地的外国船舶，应当每日悬挂中国国旗。

4. The “Measures for the Administration of Flying the National Flag on Ships”, Article 9

Article 9 The Chinese National Flag flown by ships shall be clean and tidy, and shall not be damaged, defiled, faded or substandard, nor shall it be displayed upside down.

4. 《船舶悬挂国旗管理办法》第九条

第九条船舶悬挂的中国国旗应当干净整洁，不得破损、污损、褪色、不合格，不得倒挂。

5. The “Law of the People's Republic of China on the National Flag”, Article 19

Article 19 No damaged, defiled, faded or substandard national flag shall be raised or used, and the national flag shall not be displayed upside down, inserted upside down, or displayed or used in any other manner that undermines the dignity of the national flag.

5. 《中华人民共和国国旗法》第十九条

第十九条不得升起、悬挂破损、污损、褪色或者不合格的国旗，不得倒挂、倒插国旗，不得以其他有损国家尊严的方式展示和使用国旗国旗。

Legal Basis of Administrative Penalty

The legal basis for the MSA to impose administrative penalty on the involved ships is as follows:

行政处罚的法律依据

海事局对涉事船舶作出行政处罚的法律依据如下:

1. The “Maritime Traffic Safety Law of the People's Republic of China”，Article 96, Paragraph 2

Article 96 A ship or offshore installation falling under any of the following circumstances shall be ordered by the maritime safety administration to take corrective action, the owner, operator or manager of the ship or offshore installation in violation of the law shall be fined not less than 20,000 yuan nor more than 200,000 yuan, and the master and relevant liable persons shall be fined not less than 2,000 yuan nor more than 20,000 yuan; and under serious circumstances, the owner, operator or manager of the ship in violation of the law shall be subject to revocation of relevant certificates and documents, and the master and liable crew members shall be subject to suspension for 12 to 24 months or even revocation of their certificates of competency:

……

1. 《中华人民共和国海上交通安全法》第九十六条第二款

第九十六条 船舶、海上设施有下列情形之一的，由海事安全管理机构责令改正，对违法的船舶、海上设施的所有人、经营人、管理人处二万元以上二十万元以下罚款，对船长和有关责任人员处二千元以上二万元以下罚款;情节严重的，依法吊销船舶所有人、经营人、管理人的有关证件和文件，并对船长和负有责任的船员给予12个月至24个月的停职处分，直至吊销其适任证书:

......

(2) A ship fails to fly the national flag according to the law, or flies a flag of another country, region or organization in violation of the law.

......

(2) 船舶未依法悬挂国旗或者违法悬挂其他国家、地区、组织旗帜.

......

2. The “Provisions of the People's Republic of China on Marine and Maritime Administrative Penalties”, Article 11, Paragraph 2

Article 11 Where, in violation of Article 9, Article10, Article 33 of the Maritime Traffic Safety Law, a ship or offshore installation falls under any of the following circumstances, the maritime authority shall order corrective action to be taken, fine the owner, operator, or manager of the violating ship or offshore installation not less than 20,000 yuan nor more than 200,000 yuan, and fine the master and any relevant

liable person each not less than 2,000 yuan nor more than 20,000 yuan; and if the circumstances are serious, revoke the relevant certificates and documents of the owner, operator, or manager of the violating ship and suspend for 12 to 24 months or even revoke the seafarer's certificates of competency of the master and any liable seafarer:

……

2. 《中华人民共和国海事和海事条例》 行政处罚”，第11条第2款

第十一条违反《海上交通法》第九条、第十条、第三十三条规定的船舶、海上设施有下列情形之一者，情节严重的，海事主管部门应当责令改正，处以罚款对违法船舶、海上设施的所有人、经营人、管理人处二万元以上二十万元以下的罚款，并对船长和有关责任人员处以二千元以上二万元以下的罚款;情节严重的，吊销违规船舶所有人、经营人或管理人的有关证件和文件，并吊销船长及责任船员的海员适任证书12个月至24个月;

．．．．．．

(2) The ship fails to fly the national flag according to the law, or illegally flies the flag of another country, region, or organization.

……

(2)未依法悬挂国旗或者非法悬挂其他国家、地区、组织旗帜的。

3. The “Provisions of the People's Republic of China on Marine and Maritime Administrative Penalties”, Article 7, Paragraph 1

3.《中华人民共和国海事和海事条例》 行政处罚”，第七条第一款

Article 7 Where the party committing a maritime administrative violation is under any of the following circumstances, a lighter or mitigated maritime administrative penalty shall be imposed in accordance with the law:(1) Voluntarily eliminating or mitigating the harmful consequences caused by the maritime administrative violation.

……

第七条海事行政违法行为当事人有下列情形之一的，依法从轻或者减轻海事行政处罚:(一)自愿消除或者减轻海事行政违法行为造成的有害后果。

......

4. The “Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Administration of Traffic Safety in Inland Rivers”, Article 68, Paragraph 1

4. 《中华人民共和国内河交通安全管理条例》第六十八条第一款

Article 68 Where a ship navigating in inland waters, in violation of these Regulations, comes under any of the following circumstances, the maritime safety authority shall order it to make corrections and impose a fine of not less than 5,000 yuan but not more than 50,000 yuan; if the circumstances are serious, the maritime safety authority shall prohibit it from entering or leaving ports or order it to stop navigation, and may suspend the certificates of competency or the equivalent documents of the responsible crewmembers for three to six months:

第六十八条违反本条例规定，在内河航行的船舶有下列情形之一的，由海事安全部门责令改正，处五千元以上五万元以下的罚款;情节严重的，由海事安全部门禁止进出港或者责令停止航行，并可以暂扣责任船员的适任证书或者同等证件三个月以上六个月;

(1) failing to fly its national flag or failing to have its name, ports of registry, or load lines explicitly marked in accordance with the provisions;

......

(1) 未按照规定悬挂本国国旗或者未明确标明本国名称、船籍港、载重线的;

．．．．．．

5. The “Provisions of the People's Republic of China on Inland-Water-Related Maritime Administrative Penalties”, Article 16, Paragraph 1

5. 《中华人民共和国内河海事行政处罚规定》第十六条第一款

Article 16 In the case of committing any of the following conduct when navigating in any inland water in violation of the provisions of Article 14 , 18 , 19 , 20 or 22 of the Regulation on the Administration of Traffic Safety in Inland Waters , the violator shall be, in accordance with the provisions of Article 68 of the Regulation on the Administration of Traffic Safety in Inland Waters , ordered to make correction and be fined 5,000 yuan up to 50,000 yuan; if the circumstances are serious, the ship shall be prohibited from entering or leaving the harbor or ordered to cease navigation, and the liable seafarer shall be subject to the punishment of having his or her certificate of competency for seafarers or other credentials of competency withheld for three to six months:

第十六条提交的有下列行为的任何内河航行时违反第14条,18条,19条,20到22条的内河交通安全管理条例,违反者应,依照本法第68条的规定对内河交通安全管理,责令改正并被处以5000元的罚款50000元;情节严重的，禁止船舶进港、出港或者责令停止航行，并对负有责任的海员处以扣留其海员适任证书或者其他适任证书三个月以上六个月以下的处分:

(1) Failing to hang the national flag as required.......

（1)未按要求悬挂国旗的，.......

Objects of Administrative Penalty

行政处罚对象

The Objects of administrative penalty shall be Owners, Operators or Managers of illegal ships or marine installations, as well as the Master and relevant responsible

persons.

行政处罚的对象是非法船舶、海上设施的所有人、经营人、管理人以及船长和有关责任人员。

Precautions for Flying the Chinese National Flag

悬挂中国国旗的注意事项

1. Ships Required to Fly the Chinese National Flag

The following Chinese ships shall fly the Chinese National Flag daily:

（1） Ships of 50 gross tons and above.

（2） Ships sailing in waters outside China's territorial waters and in Hong Kong, Macau.

（3） Official ships.

Foreign ships entering the internal waters, ports, and anchorages of the People's Republic of China shall fly the Chinese National Flag daily.

1. 必须悬挂中国国旗的船舶

下列中国船舶应当每日悬挂中国国旗:

(1)50总吨以上船舶。

(2) 在中国领海以外水域和香港、澳门水域航行的船舶。

(3)公务船。进入中华人民共和国内水、港口、锚地的外国船舶，应当每日悬挂中国国旗。

2. General Dimensions of the Chinese National Flag

The 5 general dimensions of the Chinese National Flag are listed as follows:

Class A: 288 cm in length, 192 cm in height;

Class B: 240 cm in length, 160 cm in height;

Class C: 192 cm in length, 128 cm in height;

Class D: 144 cm in length, 96 cm in height;

Class E: 96 cm in length, 64 cm in height.

2. 中国国旗的通用尺寸

中国国旗的5种通用尺寸如下:

A级:长288厘米，高192厘米;

B级:长240厘米，高160厘米;

C级:长192厘米，高128厘米;

D级:长144厘米，高96厘米;

E级:长96厘米，高64厘米。

3. The Corresponding Dimensions of the Chinese National Flag should the Ships fly

Ships shall fly the Chinese National Flag of the corresponding dimensions according to their length:

（1） Ships with a length of 150 meters and above shall fly Class A, Class B, or Class C Chinese National Flags.

（2） Ships with a length of 50 meters or above but less than 150 meters shall fly either Class C or Class D Chinese National Flags.

（3） Ships with a length of 20 meters or above but less than 50 meters shall fly either Class D or Class E Chinese National Flags.

（4） Ships less than 20 meters shall fly Class E Chinese National Flags.

The dimensions of the Chinese National Flag to be flown by a foreign ship shall generally not be less than the dimensions of the flag of the Flag State she is flying.

3. 悬挂中国国旗的相应尺寸船舶应当按照长度悬挂相应尺寸的中国国旗:

(1) 长度在150米以上的船舶，应当悬挂甲、乙、丙类中国国旗。

(2) 船长50米以上不满150米的船舶，应当悬挂丙类或者丙类中国国旗。

(3) 长度在20米以上不满50米的船舶，应当悬挂中国D类或者E类国旗。

(4) 20米以下的船舶，应当悬挂中国E级国旗。

外国船舶悬挂的中国国旗的尺寸，一般不得小于其悬挂的船旗国国旗的尺寸。

4. When should Ships Fly the Chinese National Flag

Ships shall hoist the Chinese National Flag in the morning and lower it in the evening. However, in case of bad weather, the Chinese National Flag may not be hoisted.

4. 船舶应当在什么时候悬挂中国国旗

船舶应当早晨升起中国国旗，晚上降下中国国旗。但遇恶劣天气，可以不悬挂中国国旗。

5. Where should Ships Fly the Chinese National Flag

5. 船舶应当在何处悬挂中国国旗

（1） Chinese ships shall fly the Chinese National Flag on the ensign staff. If there is no ensign staff fitted at the ship’s stern, it shall be displayed on the top of the bridge signal pole or on the starboard yard arm.

(1)中国船舶应当在船旗杆上悬挂中国国旗。如果船尾没有安装船旗杖，则应显示在舰桥信号杆顶部或右舷桁臂上。

（2） Foreign ships shall fly the Chinese National Flag on the top of the foremast or on the top of the bridge signal pole or on the starboard yard arm.

(2)外国船舶应当在前桅顶部、驾驶室信号杆顶部或者右舷桁臂上悬挂中国国旗。

（3） When the Chinese National Flag and other flags are simultaneously flown on the starboard yard arm of the bridge signal pole, the Chinese National Flag shall be displayed on the outermost side.

Loss Prevention Suggestions

According to relevant laws and regulations, the MSA shall order ships and crew members who violate the "Law of the People's Republic of China on the National Flag" and the "Measures for the Administration of flying the National Flag on Ships" to rectify the violation immediately, and may impose penalties in accordance with the "Law of the People's Republic of China on the National Flag" and other relevant provisions of China according to the circumstances. If a foreign ship refuses to make

corrections according to the requirements of the MSA, the MSA may order it to depart from the inland waters, ports, or anchorage of the People's Republic of China. Therefore, we suggest the responsible crew members on board to carry out necessary training to familiarize them with the requirements of flying the Chinese National Flag. In addition, it is recommended that ships promptly check whether they are equipped with a sufficient number of standard Chinese National Flag prior to entering Chinese waters. After entering Chinese waters, ships shall properly fly the Chinese National Flag to avoid administrative penalties for violation of relevant laws and regulations.

(3) 驾驶台信号杆右舷臂同时升挂中国国旗和其他旗帜时，应在最外侧升挂中国国旗。海事局根据有关法律、法规，责令违反《中华人民共和国国旗法》和《船舶悬挂国旗管理办法》的船舶和船员立即改正，并可以根据情节，依照《中华人民共和国国旗法》和中国其他有关规定予以处罚。外国船舶拒不按照海事处要求改正的，海事处可以责令其驶离中华人民共和国内水、港口、锚地。因此，我们建议对船上负责的船员进行必要的培训，使其熟悉悬挂中国国旗的要求。此外，建议船舶在进入中国水域前，及时检查是否配备了足够数量的中国标准国旗。船舶进入中国海域后，应当正确悬挂中国国旗，避免因违反有关法律、法规受到行政处罚。

Huatai Circular Ref. PNI (2023) 8 No.1236

2023 年 9 月 7 日PNI [2023] 08

PNI[2023]08 中文版.rar

PNI[2023]08.rar

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