To optimize maritime enforcement measures and better serve the national strategy for the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta, promote the substantive operation of the Yangtze River Delta Maritime Courts Enforcement Alliance, and strengthen cross-regional enforcement collaboration, Nanjing Maritime Court initiated an online working symposium on February 28. Jointly organized by four maritime courts—Shanghai, Wuhan, Ningbo, and Nanjing—the event was held under the theme "Action-Oriented Synergy, Collaborative Growth for Enhanced Capabilities."

Enforcement Progress and Experience Sharing

Heads of the enforcement departments from the four maritime courts reported on their 2024 enforcement efforts, exchanging insights based on each court’s case characteristics, operational practices, and regional contexts.

Shanghai Maritime Court leveraged the alliance’s collaborative mechanism to facilitate joint enforcement across      jurisdictions, resolving livelihood-related enforcement cases with a "putting myself in their shoes" approach, achieving the organic unity of legal, social, and political outcomes.

Wuhan Maritime Court emphasized good-faith enforcement in business-related cases, supporting the high-quality development of the port and shipping private sector while enhancing the rule-of-law business environment.

Ningbo Maritime Court integrated local resources to address enforcement challenges, upgraded its "One-Stop Vessel Enforcement" system to expedite the realization of creditor rights, and established a model for maritime enforcement.

Nanjing Maritime Court innovated with "Maritime-Local Joint Enforcement" mechanisms, resolving complex "hardbone cases" through cross-jurisdictional coordination and  exploring "enforcement-bankruptcy integration" to support the maritime economy.

Frontline Insights from Enforcement Officers

Representatives shared practical experiences from diverse enforcement perspectives:

Lü Yunkai (Shanghai), a judge’s assistant, detailed a cross-enforcement case, highlighting on-site investigations, targeted asset searches based on debtor profiles, and verifying corporate legal representatives to overcome challenges in locating parties, ultimately securing a settlement.

Chen Nan (Wuhan), a judge, shared the practices of handling a series of cross-regional maritime labor dispute cases, introducing the experience of strengthening communication and collaboration among maritime courts , jointly guiding crew members in creditor's rights registration and legally safeguarding      their rights. Additionally, Chen shared Wuhan Maritime Court's   explorations in blockchain-based evidence preservation and the application of case process information management systems empowered by AI for enforcement.

Xiao Kunyi (Ningbo), a judge, presented a multi-party vessel dispute. While handling this complex and challenging dispute involving multiple parties—including a ship charterer, a ship repair yard, crew members, and the shipowner—he adhered to the principles of goodwill and civility in enforcement. By adopting flexible measures such as leasing the vessel instead of auctioning it and imposing a "live arrest" (allowing operation) rather than a "dead arrest" (seizing the vessel), he ultimately achieved a mutually beneficial outcome for all parties involved.

Qian Jianguo (Nanjing) ,a judge, shared the removal of heavy port equipment—a precedent-lacking challenge—by carefully      formulating a two-part execution plan, collaborating with local courts to carry out cross-execution, actively seeking support from the local government. Successfully Nanjing Maritime Court concluded the case of  relocating a 1,000-ton terminal. He also shared the study of thoughts on the issue of alternative fulfillment in the enforcement of acts.

Deepening Collaboration

In 2023, four maritime courts jointly signed the Memorandum of Strategic Cooperation on the Yangtze River Delta Maritime Enforcement Alliance to deepen collaboration in maritime enforcement. Under the guidance of this memorandum, the four maritime courts explored new approaches to cross-enforcement cooperation with distinctive maritime judicial characteristics during this online regular business seminar, marking another practical step forward in their collaboration. It is hoped that the Enforcement Bureau of Nanjing Maritime Court will leverage its "latecomer advantage," actively learn from the enforcement bureaus of fellow maritime courts, and continuously enhance its professional capabilities. It is also expected that such seminar exchanges will become "regularized" to build consensus and pool strengths. Furthermore, there is anticipation for deeper expansion in the field of "maritime-to-maritime" enforcement collaboration, sharing enforcement resources and jointly cultivating the alliance’s brand.