To standardize the survey of ship identification numbers, The Provisions are formulated in accordance withThe Provisions of the People’s Republic of China on the Administration of Ship Identification Numbers (Order of Ministry of Transport No. 4, 2010).

1. General Provisions

1.1 The Provisions apply to ships registered or to be registered in China in accordance with Regulation of the People's Republic of China on the Registration of Ships, including ships that are built for foreign companies and apply for the interim nationality certificate of China, with the exception of military, fishing and sports ships.

1.2 For ships the keels of which are laid or at a similar stage of construction on or after 1 January 2011, ship builders shall apply to ship survey institutions for survey before delivery, and provide ship Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag for verification.

1.3 For ships the keels of which are laid or at a similar stage of construction before 1 January 2011, ship builders shall apply to ship survey institutions for survey before completion, and provide ship RFID tag for verification. .

1.4 The existing ships do not need to mark identification number. Ship owners or operators shall provide ship RFID tag for verification in the latest survey of any kind carried out by ship survey institutions after the tag was put into service.

2. Requirements for the Survey of Ship Identification Numbers

2.1 For ships the keels of which are laid or at a similar stage of construction on or after 1 January 2011, ship survey institutions shall check the assigning and marking of the ship identification number before delivery. Before the completion of building, ship survey institutions shall check the mounting of the tag. The ship survey certificate shall not be issued whereas there is any incompliance.

2.2 For ships the keels of which are laid or at a similar stage of construction before 1 January 2011, ship survey institutions shall check the assigning and marking of the ship identification number before completion. The ship survey certificate shall not be issued whereas there is any incompliance.

2.3 For the above newly-built ships and ships under construction, whereas the RFID tag was not put into use, the mounting of the tag may not be surveyed, but shall be remarked in the survey report.[page]

2.4 For existing ships, ship survey institutions shall obtain ship identification number through the information system developed by China MSA. After the RFID tag was put into use, the ship identification number shall be checked in the latest service survey to verify its consistence with the tag, and the mounting location of the tag shall also be checked. The certificate shall be renewed if the requirements are met. Whereas ship identification number is not consistent with the tag or the tag is not available, the ship owner or operator shall be required to provide proper tag. Under this circumstance, the short-term certificate valid for no more than three months may be issued (for ships engaged in international voyages, only the short-term certificate valid for no more than three months may be issued), and the survey report shall be remarked accordingly. The certificate shall not be renewed whereas there is any incompliance in the next survey after validity.

2.5 Whereas the ship identification number is illegible, or the identification number shall be marked again because of changing plates, etc., the ship owner or operator shall apply to ship survey institutions for additional survey.

2.6 When the ship survey institution carries out service survey for ships with ship identification number and renewed certificate, the compliance of identification number with the certificate and report as well as the mounting of the tag shall be checked.

2.7 When the identification number is marked, the ship survey institution shall assign surveyors to inspect the marking of identification number on site in accordance with Article 3 of The Provisions, including the mounting location of the tag and the size, color, mark method and location, etc. of ship identification number .

3. Marking Requirements for Ship Identification Number

3.1 Permanent ship identification number marked on hull shall adopt "SONG" typeface. For ships of 20m in length or over,theheight of characters shall be 10cm; for ships below 20m in length, the height shall be 5cm. The space between characters shall be no more than 2.5cm.

3.2 The ship identification number shall be marked horizontally and symmetrically within two lines. When marked in two lines, the first line shall be the first 6 digits of identification number (CN+4 digits of the year of keel laid), the second line shall be the last 7 digits of identification number (6 digits of random number +1 digit of verification code), space between two lines shall not exceed the height of characters.

3.3 The ship identification number shall be marked legibly, separated from any other markings on hull and colored obviously contrast to the background.

3.4 The ship identification number shall be marked in accordance with the following:

3.4.1 Ships made of steel shall mark identification number permanently by raised lettering.

3.4.2 Ships made of fiberglass plastics except yachts shall past copper bar of characters or adopt other methods recognized by ship survey institutions to mark the number permanently; yachts and ships made of other materials, shall adopt methods recognized by ship survey institutions to mark the number permanently. The ship survey institution shall, in accordance with The Provisions of the People’s Republic of China on the Administration of Ship Identification Number and The Provisions, develop its implementation measures.[page]

3.5 Ship identification number shall be marked permanently on the follow locations:

3.5.1 Ships equipped with main propulsion machinery (with stern shaft), ship identification number shall be marked permanently on transverse bulkheads of machinery spaces nearby the stern shaft of main propulsion machinery.

3.5.2 Ships equipped with main propulsion machinery (without stern shaft), or ships without main propulsion machinery, ship identification number shall be marked permanently on the inside hull of stern transom plate or the main deck nearby stern transom plate.

3.5.3 The marked location of ship identification number shall be easy to check.

3.6 Ship RFID tag shall be posted on the bridge or other notable location.

4. Requirements for Survey Documents

4.1 After ship identification number passes the first survey, ship survey institutions shall issue the new-version ship survey certificate with ship identification number (with the exception of China-flagged ships engaged in international voyages). The marking of ship identification number, including mounting location of the tag and the size, color, mark method and location, etc. of ship identification number shall be described in survey report or record. When the location of ship identification number is recorded, the frame location and the height between the lowest line of ship identification number and the base line shall be described. For China-flagged ships engaged in international voyages, the ship identification number shall be filled in the column of "Distinctive number or letters" of certificates except Safety Radio Certificate and Safety Navigation Certificate, in which the ship identification number and distinctive number shall be filled properly.

4.2 After the ship identification number is marked again and surveyed, ship survey institutions shall describe the reason and marking in the survey report. Whereas the marking location changes, ship survey certificate shall be renewed. When the location of ship identification number is recorded, the frame location and the height between the lowest line of ship identification number and the base line shall be described.

4.3 After the ship has obtained its identification number, the directory and file list of ship survey documents shall be archived in accordance with the newly expanded format.

4.4 For ships built for foreign companies and applying for interim nationality certificates of China, after carrying out survey on the marking of ship identification number in accordance with The Provisions, CCS and foreign ship survey institutions in China shall issue survey reportof ship identification number and submit it to China MSA. The survey report shall be completed and printed through the ship survey management system on the official website of China MSA（http://www. msa.gov.cn）.

5.The Provisions shall come into force upon promulgation.

(All information published in this website is authentic in Chinese. English is provided for reference only.)