China fines foreign vessel for first time over Starlink satellite

China has for the first time fined a foreign vessel for illegally using SpaceX's satellite-based internet service Starlink in Chinese waters. During a routine inspection by maritime law enforcement at the port of Ningbo in Zhejiang province, an unidentified ship was found to have a “micro-rectangular antenna” installed on its upper deck. According to a report by the state-run Ningbo Daily on Wednesday, the Ningbo Maritime Safety Administration stated that the antenna was “significantly different from standard maritime safety communication equipment.” It was later confirmed that this was a “low-orbit [LEO] satellite communication device manufactured by a foreign company,” and it was determined that the ship continued to use the device to transmit data after entering Chinese territorial waters.

The state newspaper Ningbo Daily did not specify the brand of the device in its report, but photographs revealed it to be a Starlink terminal. The statement noted that this incident marked the first successful regulatory action of its kind concerning the “illegal use of low-orbit satellite communications” in Chinese waters.