Shanghai's Chongming district launches one-stop platforms for maritime dispute resolution

A public legal service event with the theme "Legal Protection for Maritime Businesses — Chongming's Fengqiao Model for Maritime Dispute Resolution" was recently held at the Marine Technology Park on Changxing Island in Shanghai's Chongming district.

During the event, the Chongming Center under the Shanghai One-Stop Maritime Dispute Resolution Center and the "Legal Protection for Maritime Businesses" Public Legal Service Workstation for the Changxing Shipping and Marine Industry were officially launched. This marks a major step by Chongming district to strengthen maritime legal services and optimize the business environment for the shipping and marine industry. It also serves as a practical demonstration of multi-department collaboration at the municipal level to improve maritime governance and support the shipping market.

The launch of these platforms establishes an integrated "maritime plus" dispute resolution mechanism. This innovative model provides end-to-end resolution of maritime disputes through "one-stop acceptance, integrated mediation, and full-chain resolution." By streamlining procedures, the initiative aims to significantly reduce the procedural burden on crew members seeking to protect their rights and to enhance the efficiency of resolving conflicts and disputes within the maritime industry.

To ensure the standardized, efficient, and rule-based operation of the two platforms, two key regulatory documents were released at the event. One document lays out a comprehensive mechanism that covers six key response actions and six corresponding service commitments, while the other specifies public legal service guidelines tailored to the shipping and marine industry of Changxing.

Since the beginning of this year, the justice bureau of Chongming district has collaborated with courts and maritime authorities to establish Shanghai's first maritime public legal service center and the first people's mediation committee for maritime disputes. It has also taken the lead in implementing an integrated dispute resolution mechanism featuring people's mediation, maritime mediation and judicial confirmation, providing comprehensive support for the sound and orderly development of the shipping and marine industry of Changxing.