China's Shanghai Maritime Court says vessel collision cases are on the rise.
It has taken on more than 200 disputes in the last four years, which numbers increasing each year.
"Rapid economic growth is bringing more ships to the city and the sea lanes pass through some traditional fishing areas," said presiding judge Xin Hai on its website.
More than half of cases are over liability for damage caused by a collision, while the rest concern pollution and personal injury.
A white paper highlighted 38 smashes in 70 people died and 12 vessels sank.
Eight of the collisions involved foreign vessels unfamiliar with local waters.
The court has called in experts to look at the issue of overseas ships - and has set up a translation team of young judges.
The paper revealed most collisions happen at night.
The main causes include over-taking, illegally sailing in fog, negligence on lookout and unqualified crew.
The court has developed its own data analysis software for analysing accidents and ship movements, which has been trialled since the end of February.
The software can analyse waterway conditions and the tracks of vessels.
