China Maritime Safety Administration


The Maritime Safety Administration of the People's Republic of China is a government agency which administers all matters related to maritime and shipping safety, including the supervision of maritime traffic safety and security, prevention of pollution from ships, inspection of ships and offshore facilities, navigational safety measures, administrative management of port operations, and law enforcement on matters of maritime safety law. It was also responsible for marine accident investigation. It is headquartered in Dongcheng District, Beijing.
In October 1998, it was formed by the merger of the China Ship Inspection Bureau and the China Port Supervision Bureau into a comprehensive agency of maritime affairs, subordinate to the Ministry of Transport of the People's Republic of China.
The China MSA was the only maritime administrative agency that was not merged into the new China Coast Guard in June 2013. The CMSA retains its safety and control remit, while the new CCG concentrates all other law enforcement and policing duties.

Administrative Structure

The agency is organized into the following structure:

Operational organization

The MSA operates primarily along the PRC coastline and Yangtze River, Pearl River and Heilongjiang Rivers. The MSA maintains 20 Regional MSAs, one per coastal province, under which 97 local branches have been established.

Regional MSAs

The MSA's 25,000 officials, other working staff, operate a patrol force of 1,300 vessels and watercraft of various types. These include 207 patrol vessels of 20 meters and greater length, 2 are 100 meters and above, 2 are 60 meters and above, 18 are 40 meters and above, 59 are 30 meters and above and 126 are 20 meters and above.

Fleet