Maritime administration weak in Sansha

The establishment of the prefectural-level Sansha city will help enhance the weak maritime administration in Xisha, Zhongsha and Nansha islands in the South China Sea, Hainan Daily reported Saturday quoting a senior official with Hainan Maritime Safety Administration.

"Our maritime administration is still weak in Xisha, Zhongsha and Nansha islands on the whole," said Zhang Jie, deputy bureau chief of Hainan Maritime Safety Administration, "We are now losing no time to set up and improve Xisha Maritime Safety Administration and put into place a well-functioning working mechanism."

In the meantime, Hainan Maritime Safety Administration is also working on an outline for the development of maritime administration in Sansha city in the 12th five-year plan period. Telecommunication systems and sailing assistance facilities are expected to be built in the Sansha seawaters to facilitate the traffic of boats.

Prior to the establishment of Sansha city, the absence of a government agency made it difficult to carry out work related to maritime administration. It was not until the May of 2010 that China conducted the first fleet cruise in the waters surrounding Xisha, Zhongsha and Nansha islands, which lasted nine days and covered 1,800 nautical miles.