TIANJIN - China's provincial-level marine supervision authorities have contracted to use 33 patrol vessels to boost marine law enforcement throughout the country, a senior marine supervision official said here on Wednesday.

Wu Ping, deputy head of China Marine Surveillance under the State Oceanic Administration, made the announcement at a patrol vessel contract-signing ceremony held in north China's Tianjin Municipality.

At the ceremony, the agency's Tianjin division contracted CSSC Guangzhou Huangpu Shipbuilding Co Ltd to build a 1,500-tonne patrol vessel, and a local shipbuilder in Tianjin to build two 600-tonne patrol vessels.

Zhong Jian, chairman of the board of CSSC, said the 1,500-tonne vessel with a hull length of 100 meters will be the largest of its kind used by China's provincial-level marine surveillance corps.

The three vessels are due for delivery in 16 months.

China has 32,000 km of coastline. In 2010, the government began to establish provincial-level marine patrol fleets to tighten marine security.

China's 2010 Ocean Development Report said the country's marine rights and interests face a complicated situation and safety threats, including terrorism, disputes over maritime resources and sovereignty, and sea delimitation.