17日凌晨，正在中国进行国事访问的俄罗斯总统普京抵达哈尔滨，继续访华之旅。
Liberia-flagged vessel Front Eagle Photo: Courtesy of China's Supreme People's Court Guangzhou Maritime Court recently successfully mediated a 180 million yuan ($25 million) dispute arising from a collision between two oil tankers in waters near the Strait of Hormuz, with both parties agreeing to apply Chinese law and submit their dispute to the Chinese court, the Global Times learned from the court on Sunday.
In 2025, two crude oil tankers collided at the eastern entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, 24 nautical miles off Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, media reported.
Owned by oil tanker operator Frontline, the Liberia-flagged vessel
Front Eagle collided with the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged vessel
Adalynn on the morning of June 17, 2025.
The
Adalynn was damaged in the fire. While the
Front Eagle was undergoing repairs in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province, Global Shipping Holding Ltd., which owns the Adalynn, applied to Guangzhou Maritime Court for its arrest. Frontline provided a cash security of 203 million yuan to release the arrest and applied to establish a limitation fund for maritime claims.
The court approved the application and allowed Frontline to establish the limitation fund, setting the amount of the fund at 168 million yuan.
Guangzhou Maritime Court held four pretrial conferences on October 11, 2025, January 12, May 6 and July 13, 2026 to complete preparations for evidence examination, technical investigations and reported the relevant pretrial arrangements to the provincial high court, the Global Times learned from the court.
The court held a public hearing for the case on July 14, 2026.
No government agency had conducted an investigation into the collision, and no official findings were issued after the accident. Taking into account the unique burden-of-proof challenges in maritime collision disputes, Guangzhou Maritime Court took measures to preserve key evidence when handling the vessel arrest, including navigation logs, AIS data, voyage data recorder (VDR) records and CCTV footage, the court told the Global Times in a statement on Sunday.
Under a process that involves exchanging evidence inventories, sealing materials simultaneously and jointly reviewing them after evidence submissions, the court helped ensure the authenticity of critical records and laid the groundwork for determining the facts of the case.
As the two sides and their respective maritime experts reached sharply different conclusions over liability, the court introduced a maritime technical investigator mechanism, with the consent of both parties, allowing technical experts to participate throughout the proceedings. Drawing on the preserved evidence, investigators reconstructed the collision, assessed the vessels' encounter situation and clarified the parties' respective responsibilities.
Following the hearing, the court facilitated mediation, and the two parties reached a settlement agreement on July 27, 2026. On July 31, the court organized the distribution of the maritime liability limitation fund among creditors involved in the foreign vessel collision dispute and related charter-party disputes.
Representatives of the
Adalynn traveled from overseas to the court to present a letter of appreciation and a commemorative banner in recognition of the court's efforts, according to the court statement.
After the Guangzhou Maritime Court accepted the case, both parties agreed to apply Chinese law to establish a maritime liability limitation fund and resolve their substantive dispute, breaking away from the long-standing reliance of international shipping disputes on European and US courts and legal systems.
Choice of justice Bilov Viacheslav, a representative of Global Shipping Holding Ltd., told the Global Times that the main reason they chose a Chinese court to mediate the case is that "we want absolutely fair, unbiased approach to this issue. Because nowadays in this world, there are some countries which believe that they are authorized to give instruction to all others, which definitely is having influence on the decisions of the judge on the approach to the case."
Viacheslav gave the Chinese court's handling of the case a five-star rating, saying he had expected the dispute to take at least three years to resolve, but the Chinese court settled it within just one year. He also praised the judges and lawyers for their commitment to advancing the case throughout the proceedings.
"The judges and lawyers worked to advance the case with the same level of commitment as I did, even though the case directly concerned my own interests. This left a deep impression on me about litigation in China," Viacheslav said.
The case involved two foreign parties and a collision that occurred near the Strait of Hormuz, with no direct connection to China or Guangzhou Maritime Court initially. The fact that the parties chose to seek vessel arrest in China and agreed to apply Chinese law demonstrates the credibility and appeal of China's maritime judicial system, Wu Guining, vice president of the Guangzhou Maritime Court, who served as the presiding judge of the case, told the Global Times.
The court also introduced a maritime technical investigator mechanism in the case, an innovation aimed at addressing complex technical issues arising from vessel collision accidents, Wu said, noting that through technical investigations, the court was able to establish the facts of the case more efficiently, highlighting the integration of professional maritime investigation capabilities with China's specialized maritime adjudication system.
The case demonstrates China's ability to handle major, complex and cross-border maritime disputes with professional expertise, Wu said.
The handling of the collision between the two vessels is just one example of how Chinese courts have been dealing with a growing number of foreign-related maritime cases in recent years.
The Global Times learned from China's Supreme People's Court (SPC) in October last year that over the past 40 years, Chinese courts have handled a total of 88,000 foreign-related maritime cases involving parties from 146 countries and regions.
At a lecture held by the SPC on Friday, Shen Hongyu, director of the Fourth Civil Division of the SPC, told the Global Times that in recent years, Chinese courts have become more influential in participating in and promoting global ocean governance reform. Maritime justice serves as an important instrument for practicing the vision of a maritime community with a shared future and for advancing the reform of the global ocean governance system.
。当天，中国国家副主席韩正在哈尔滨同普京共同出席第八届中俄博览会开幕式，宣读习近平主席贺信并致辞。普京会见韩正时表示，我同习近平主席进行了内容充实、富有成效的会晤，为两国关系发展作出长远规划，访问取得圆满成功。双方要密切协调配合，加强各领域务实合作，进一步推进远东—东北地方合作，推动两国关系实现更好发展。
三 | 俄REN TV电视台网站17日报道称，普京此次专程前往哈尔滨，参加第八届中俄博览会和第四届中俄区域合作论坛开幕式，体现了俄方对两国地方合作的重视。
四 | 黑龙江省是中国对俄经贸合作的重要省份之一，该省不仅同俄接壤，还留有宝贵的历史文化记忆，双方各领域合作成果丰硕。俄卫星通讯社17日称，普京此次访华的主要成果体现了俄中两国在地区和国际事务中的战略协调和合作，并向外界传递了两国坚定维护多边主义和国际秩序的决心。
习近平在致第八届中俄博览会的贺信中指出，在两国共同努力下，中俄关系一步一个脚印扎实向前迈进，以实实在在的合作成果造福两国人民。今年是中俄建交75周年。站在新的历史起点上，两国关系将迎来新的历史机遇，展现更加广阔的发展前景。习近平强调，经过多年培育、发展，中俄博览会已经成为推动双边经贸合作的重要平台。希望两国各界充分利用本届博览会契机，深入交流，共享机遇，共同为推进中俄互利合作添砖加瓦，为两国新时代全面战略协作伙伴关系发展注入新动力。
普京致辞说，我同习近平主席在北京进行了富有成果的会晤，为两国关系发展和扩大务实合作达成重要共识。哈尔滨是俄中文化交相辉映的典范。我们珍视两国友好合作传统。希望双方深挖潜力，积极发挥俄中博览会平台作用，推动两国经贸、投资、能源、工业、高新技术、跨境交通、旅游、农业、地方等领域合作取得新进展，凝聚共识，为两国人民带来更多福祉。
随后，韩正陪同普京巡视博览会展馆，听取两国合作情况介绍，与参展机构负责人互动交流。俄《消息报》17日称，在莫斯科展区，莫斯科动物园园长阿库洛娃向普京介绍了首只在俄出生的大熊猫“喀秋莎”。她说：“现在它已经有26公斤重了，而出生时只有150克。大熊猫得到了很好的照顾。”
“通过参加此次博览会，我们的目标是进一步打入俄罗斯市场。俄罗斯人民对传统中药有着浓厚的兴趣，这为我们的产品出口提供了良好的基础。”山西振东制药有限公司的高经理17日对《环球时报》记者表示，中俄经贸关系的巨大潜力推动了其所在公司在俄罗斯市场的销售。
今年是中俄建交75周年。中俄政治互信持续深化，经贸合作结出累累硕果。据俄卫星通讯社17日报道，普京在第八届中俄博览会开幕式致辞时表示，俄罗斯支持中方在俄境内进行本地化生产，并愿意为投资者提供优惠、帮助和支持。普京还强调两国间运输物流通道的蓬勃发展，并承诺将继续缩短俄中边境货物和车辆的检查时间。此外，俄地方政府深入研究、细化了相关领域的倡议。例如，卡卢加州打算同中国在汽车领域开展合作。据俄塔社17日报道，此次访华期间，俄代表团成员之一的俄经济发展部长列舍特尼科夫表示，俄中各领域合作正在稳步拓展，每年都有新的合作项目补充投资组合。目前，双方在运输、物流、汽车工业、农业、天然气化工和采矿等领域有80多个大型项目正在进行，总投资约2000亿美元。
绥芬河中速汽车进出口有限公司俄罗斯总经理陈刚17日对《环球时报》记者表示，自己对今明两年俄罗斯市场对中国汽车的需求十分看好，因为不管是新能源车还是油车，国产汽车都在成本和质量上很有竞争力，预计今年俄罗斯仍会是一个“中国汽车进口大年”。
俄罗斯科学院高级研究员杨娜·列克休金娜表示，俄中领导人会晤向西方发出的一个重要信号是，俄中伙伴关系不针对第三国。双边关系是建立在相互利益之上，而非一时之举。“也就是说，两国拉近关系，并非源于目前的地缘政治局势，而是根据本国国内发展的逻辑来构建关系的。这是非常重要的基点。”▲
