Top court highlights six maritime cases ahead of new environmental code

The Supreme People's Court, China's top court, highlighted its commitment to environmental protection and sustainable development by releasing details of six significant maritime cases on Friday.

The announcement comes ahead of the Ecological and Environmental Code, which takes effect on Saturday. Adopted in March by the National People's Congress, the code, the country's second law titled "code", consolidates environmental laws into a unified system, shifting the focus from protecting individual resources to safeguarding entire ecosystems and their functions.

The SPC emphasized that the code provides a robust legal framework and clear judicial standards for addressing maritime cases, urging judges to strengthen the protection of marine rights and ecological security to ensure the sustainable use of ocean resources and to promote a shared maritime future.

The highlighted cases cover a wide array of issues, including ship pollution, land-based pollution, marine reserve regulations, conservation of rare species in exclusive economic zones, and public interest litigation over marine ecological damage.

In one case, the Guangzhou Maritime Court in Guangdong province voided a contract related to maritime development because it lacked the necessary environmental impact assessments and nature reserve approvals. This legal decision led to the removal of large concrete structures from tidal flats within a reserve, reinforcing the message that environmental standards must be upheld, according to the SPC.

In another case, the Ningbo Maritime Court in Zhejiang province heard a case involving the illegal harvesting of red coral, a species under China's highest level of national protection, within the country's exclusive economic zone. The court sentenced 19 individuals to jail and imposed fines, delivering a strong deterrent against crimes that threaten marine biodiversity, the SPC said, adding that the ruling also highlighted the judiciary's firm stance on protecting sovereign rights over biological resources within the exclusive economic zone.