European maritime classification society DNV has established a Future Ship Joint Innovation Centre in Shanghai in partnership with China State Shipbuilding Corp. (CSSC), the world’s leading shipbuilding group.
DNV and CSSC said the facility would allow both companies to cooperate on ship and offshore field technical innovation and to advance digitalization while providing technical support and general solutions for the maritime industry.
The new Innovation Centre was formally opened by CSSC Vice President Sheng Jigang and DNV Maritime Chief Executive Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen.
The CSSC yards include China’s leading LNG carrier builder Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding of Shanghai.
Its current orders include building six LNG carriers for a partnership including Japanese shipping company Mitsui OSK Lines and China’s Cosco Shipping to be delivered in 2025.
DNV joint operator
DNV will operate the Innovation Centre with the Shanghai Merchant Ship Design and Research Institute (SDARI) and the cooperation accord was signed by SDARI’s President Lv Zhiyong and DNV’s Senior Vice President and Regional Manager Norbert Kray.
The Centre will set up three joint work groups on reducing carbon-dioxide and promoting digital and smart shipping.
“The establishment of this Centre is an important step for a deepened strategic cooperation between CSSC and DNV, China and Europe,” stated CSSC VP Sheng.
“Additionally, the mutual trust and advantages gained will pave the way for an in-depth technical exchange between SDARI and DNV China, accelerating research on green and intelligent shipping technology towards a global maritime transformation,” Sheng added.
DNV Maritime’s CEO Ørbeck-Nilssen said it was a great honour cooperate with CSSC and SDARI to establish the Centre.
Support
“DNV will support the Centre with its full global expertise. Together we will work to ensure it will become a model for the maritime industry’s proactive response to decarbonization and digital transformation,” Ørbeck-Nilssen declared.
Others who attended the ceremony included CSSC’s Assistant President and Director General of Technology Division Xu Miao, SDARI’s Vice President Li Lu and DNV’s Senior Vice President and Reginal Strategic Business Development Director James Huang,.
Also in attendance were DNV's Vice President and Regional Customer Relations Director Hou Juzhen, Vice President and Head of Technical Centre China Øyvind Pettersen and members from the new Centre and its working groups.
