SPRFMO fishing operations
Two ships. One transmitted identity.
A Chinese ministry notice identifies an unauthorized AIS equipment change that left Hai Zhi Xing 801 and Ming Xiang 899 using the same AIS number.
Administrative finding2017 discovery; 13 February 2018 notice · Reviewed September 8, 2026
What the record establishes
After a SPRFMO notification, China’s ministry found an unauthorized AIS change on Hai Zhi Xing 801. It ordered loss of the ship’s annual fuel subsidy, suspension of its distant-water project and replacement of the equipment; it called for further investigation of the possible relationship with Ming Xiang 899.36
Why it matters
An identity collision can make two vessels appear to be one and complicate the linkage of tracks to permits and ownership. Here there is a government finding about the equipment change—not merely a suspicious-looking map.
The sequence
Period covered by this record
Read the cited findings and their stated limits. This is a dated case or context record, not live vessel monitoring.36
Responses and legal posture
The notice states the ministry’s findings and an unresolved relationship inquiry. No separate operator response was established.
What remains unresolved
The notice did not resolve the ships’ possible relationship. It does not establish fraudulent flag registration or prove that every voyage associated with the shared number was illegal. Current hull identifiers require separate verification.
A Chinese administrative investigation and ordered sanctions are documented.
How to read the evidence labels →Sources for this file
China’s ministry notice on distant-water fishing violations and administrative measures ↗
Notice 农办渔〔2018〕12号; PDF pp. 61–63; sections I, VIII and IX
Source limits
English summaries translated from the Chinese notice. Administrative findings and ordered measures are not proof of implementation or current vessel status.
Suspicious behavior and vessel tracks: interpretation limitations ↗
Tracking gaps and behavioral inference
Source limits
Behavioral signals are not findings of illegality.
API v3 data caveats ↗
Identity and activity limitations
Source limits
Modeled observations and reporting coverage require interpretation; not a complete vessel census.
