From 12 to 26! Hainan Free Trade Port Launches Pilot Program to Relax Yacht Crew Quotas in Sanya

On May 27, the Hainan Free Trade Port officially launched its pilot program to expand yacht passenger capacity, increasing it from 12 to 26, as the pilot yacht "Haidao" sounded its horn and set sail.

At 9:00 AM that day, at the public cruise and yacht marina at Luhuitou Square in Sanya, the pilot yacht "Haidao" embarked on its maiden voyage with the expanded passenger capacity of 26, escorted by a patrol boat from the Sanya Maritime Safety Administration. At 10:10 AM, "Haidao" successfully returned to the marina, completing its first voyage.

Expanding yacht passenger capacity is a key component of building the Hainan Yacht Reform and Development Innovation Pilot Zone. It is of great significance for fostering new yacht tourism consumption trends in Hainan, stimulating the vitality of businesses, and boosting consumption potential.

Sanya Central Business District is fully committed to promoting the innovative policy of allowing 26-person crew limits on yachts in the Hainan Free Trade Port. In early 2024, it commissioned the Shanghai Rules & Research Institute of the China Classification Society to conduct the "Safety Technology Research on Yachts in Hainan Free Trade Port Based on Safety Risk Assessment" project. Concurrently, it conducted extensive market research and gathered broad input from industry stakeholders and various parties, strengthening the groundwork for policy innovation. In October 2024, the District organized a completion review meeting in Shanghai for the "Interim Guidelines for Safety Technology of Yachts with a Crew Limit of Twenty-Six in the Hainan Free Trade Port". The experts present unanimously approved the completion and acceptance, laying a solid theoretical foundation for the policy innovation of 26-person crew limits on yachts in the Hainan Free Trade Port.

To promote the smooth and orderly implementation of the policy to relax yacht passenger capacity limits in the Hainan Free Trade Port, the Maritime Safety Administration of the Ministry of Transport is formulating the "Special Rules for Yacht Technology and Inspection in the Hainan Free Trade Port (Interim)."

To advance the pilot program, the Department of Transportation of Hainan Province and the Hainan Maritime Safety Administration have held multiple consultations and selected Sanya City, with its mature market and well-established management system, as the initial pilot area. They have also developed a pilot plan to relax yacht passenger capacity limits, specifying the detailed requirements for the pilot program and providing "Hainan Experience" that can be learned from and used as a reference for the formulation and promulgation of relevant national norms and standards.

To ensure the safe and orderly implementation of the maiden voyage, the Sanya Municipal Transportation Bureau, in conjunction with the Sanya Maritime Safety Administration, guided the pilot yachts in developing a “one-boat, one-policy" safety plan and conducted emergency drills in advance. Hainan will adhere to the principles of safety first, gradual progress, and coordinated supervision, advancing the pilot reforms in a step-by-step and phased manner. Supporting measures for yacht management will be gradually established and improved to promote the high-quality development of the yacht industry in the Hainan Free Trade Port.