The provision of the service follows new requirements introduced by the Chinese Maritime Safety Agency (MSA) that all vessels calling Chinese ports must have a valid contract with a licensed SPRO in China.
The rules apply to any ship carrying polluting and hazardous cargoes in bulk or any other vessel above 10,000 gt and came into effect from January 1, 2012. There is a grace period though until March 1 at ports where the MSA has yet to approve SPROs. The requirements do not apply to Hong Kong or Macau.
Having concluded agreements with local SPRO service companies, WSS is able to provide its customers with contracts with licensed suppliers at all ports in China, delivering certainty that they are in compliance with the regulations.