Lianyungang Maritime Safety Administration (MSA) issued the first electronic shipping visa in Jiangsu on Jan 24. The remote visa was given to ship “Hengrong 7”.
“It used to take us at least two hours to get examined and approved. Now, it’s less than five minutes,” said Gao Qiang, who often handles visa procedures for “Hengrong 7” in Lianyungang.
According to regulations, ships need to get their visa from local MSA within four hours after their arrival and before the departure. Now, the procedure can simply be done through the Internet, text message or ship-borne equipment. By electronic methods, one doesn’t have to go out for visa and payment.
So far there are four companies and seven ships in Lianyungang that have registered for remote E-visa procedures and got approved online.
