- Fake IMO numbers and ships over 31 years old are to be barred.
- Move follows U.S. scrutiny of nearby Dongjiakou terminal.
- China defends Iranian oil trade against Western sanctions.
Terminal operators in Shandong province, located in eastern China, are gearing up to implement tougher measures aimed at blocking shadow fleet vessels and limiting access for older tankers. An official notice obtained by Reuters, along with a tanker tracker, reveals that these new regulations will come into effect on November 1. The new rules will prohibit vessels that use counterfeit International Maritime Organisation (IMO) numbers and those that are over 31 years old. Traders believe this move is a direct hit on the shadow fleet that transports oil in defiance of Western sanctions, reports Reuters.
Link to U.S. Sanctions Pressure
Last week, four terminal operators at Huangdao Port released this notice, just a month after the United States designated an oil terminal at the nearby Dongjiakou port for receiving Iranian oil carried by sanctioned vessels. Both Huangdao and Dongjiakou are part of the larger Qingdao port area, which serves as the biggest Chinese entry point for Iranian oil. China, being Iran’s largest oil customer, has consistently defended its energy trade with Tehran and has pushed back against unilateral Western sanctions.
No Immediate Response
Qingdao Shihua did not immediately comment, while calls to the other three companies went unanswered. “The new tanker risk-rating rules appear to be a precautionary step driven by environmental concerns and rising U.S. sanctions pressure, even though the latter is not explicitly mentioned in the notice,” said Emma Li, China analyst with tanker tracker Vortexa Analytics.
However, Li added, the impact is likely to be limited as “Huangdao has only a minor role in handling high-risk tankers compared with other Shandong ports.”
Stricter Safety and Risk Ratings
According to a document reviewed by Reuters, vessels that have invalid or expired certificates from international agencies will face a ban, as will those that have been involved in pollution incidents or accidents over the last three years. A new scoring system is set to be rolled out to evaluate vessel risk. With a top score of 100, any ship that scores below 55 will be classified as high-risk and will not be allowed to anchor. The assessment will take into account various factors, including the age of the vessel, the classification society, and the coverage for pollution liability.
Operators Behind the Rules
The terminal operators implementing these new regulations include Qingdao Haiye Oil Terminal Co, Qingdao Shihua Crude Oil Terminal Co, Qingdao Gangxin Oil Products Co, and Qingdao Lixing Logistics Co.
