On the morning of June 24, the draft revision of the Maritime Code was submitted for a second review at the 16th session of the 14th National People’s Congress Standing Committee. The revised draft prioritizes enhancing seafarers’ labor rights and adjusts limitation periods to align with international standards.

During public consultations, seafarers’ rights drew significant attention. The second review draft adds a provision requiring employers to sign labor contracts with seafarers based on Chinese laws, administrative regulations, and relevant international treaties. This addresses concerns from lawmakers, representatives, and the public over seafarers’ challenging working conditions.

Notably, while the first review extended the limitation period for maritime cargo claims from one to two years, the second review reverts it to one year to better integrate with international rules like the Hague-Visby Rules. Other refinements include improving insurance for passenger injury compensation, modifying shipper definitions, replacing “transport documents” with “bills of lading”, removing inland waterway references, and enhancing rules for shipowners’ mutual insurance organizations.