A Panama-registered vessel entered Nantong from South Korea on 28 May and was spot fined Rmb1,000 for not displaying three red lights at night while waiting for quarantine inspectors.

According to Chinese regulations on hygiene and quarantine, vessels must display appropriate signals to show that they are waiting for inspection so that passing vessels are warned to keep their distance and crew members know not to disembark before inspection is completed. Over the previous seven days, the vessel in question had visited an area reported to have detected the H1N1 virus, otherwise known as swine flu.

This is the third time Nantong authorities have fined vessels for such a violation.