Abstract. In this study, ship-based Multi-Axis Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS) measurements were performed in the Eastern China Sea (ECS) area in June 2017. The tropospheric Slant Column Densities (SCDs) of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and formaldehyde (HCHO) were retrieved from the measured spectra by the Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (DOAS) technique. Using the simple geometric approach, the SCDs of different trace gases observed at 15° elevation angle were adopted to convert into tropospheric Vertical Columns Densities (VCDs). During this campaign, the averaged VCDs of NO2, SO2, and HCHO in the marine environment over ECS area are 6.50 &times 1015 molec cm−2, 4.28 &times 1015 molec cm−2 and 7.39 &times 1015 molec cm−2, respectively. In addition, the ship-based MAX-DOAS trace gases VCDs were compared with satellite observations of Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS). The daily OMI NO2 VCDs agree well with ship-based MAX-DOAS measurements showing the correlation coefficient R of 0.83. Besides, the good agreements of SO2 and HCHO VCDs between the OMPS satellite and ship-based MAX-DOAS observations were also found with correlation coefficient R of 0.76 and 0.69. The vertical profiles of these trace gases are achieved from the measured Differential Slant Column Densities (DSCDs) at different elevation angles using optimal estimation method. The retrieved profiles displayed the typical vertical distribution characteristics, which exhibits the low concentrations of