The 2024 International Ship Classification Society Technical Seminar was held in Zhoushan

On October 18th, the 2024 International Classification Society Technical Seminar was held in Zhoushan. This conference is hosted by the People's Government of Zhoushan City. 
 
At the seminar, representatives from international classification societies, shipbuilding enterprises, and financial leasing institutions focused on industry hot topics such as "green energy supply" and "future trends of intelligent ships and ports", and conducted in-depth and professional discussions on energy applications such as LNG, methanol, biofuels, nuclear energy, and electric energy, carbon capture technology and industrial chain, port infrastructure improvement, shipping digitalization development, and green ship asset management. They proposed to adopt "technology + economy" measures, carbon capture and desulfurization tower integration, and other ideas and suggestions. 
 
As one of the supporting activities of the World Oil Merchants Conference, the International Classification Society Technical Seminar has become a well-known brand activity of the Zhoushan International Maritime Service Base. It is worth mentioning that this seminar invited for the first time non-IACS (International Association of Classification Societies) member ship inspection agencies, ship repair and construction enterprises, financial leasing enterprises and other representatives of international maritime upstream and downstream industries to attend the meeting. 
 
It is understood that after years of development, the Zhoushan area of the Zhejiang Pilot Free Trade Zone has formed an industrial chain featuring ship supply, ship repair, ship trading, crew services, etc., driving the development of inspection and testing, ship management, shipping finance, maritime arbitration, etc. It has gathered more than 1,600 upstream and downstream enterprises in the industrial chain, with an industrial scale exceeding 51 billion yuan. Among them, the foreign ship maintenance is one of the most representative maritime service sectors in Zhoushan area. The product structure is gradually moving towards high-end, the production mode is transforming into green and intelligent, international cooperation is extensive and deep, and the industrial scale is continuously expanding. The maintenance volume accounts for about 45% of the country and 20% of the world, making it the largest and important foreign ship maintenance base in China and the world. From January to September this year, Zhoushan has repaired 1,842 foreign ships, achieving an output value of 8.896 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 24.66%. 
 
In recent years, the Zhoushan area has continued to deepen the creation of the "green ship repair" brand, actively promoted the development of the green ship fuel industry, launched the world's first methanol dual-fuel container ship conversion project, and accelerated the formation of LNG, methanol, biofuels and other energy refueling service capabilities. At the same time, we will increase financial support for green digital shipping, innovate shipping-specific financing service products, and support shipping companies to accelerate the upgrading of advanced equipment technology and revitalize existing assets. 
 
As an important component of the maritime service industry, classification societies play a leading role in leading the development of ship technology changes, and can gather enterprises in the industry chain to form a joint force to promote high-quality industrial development. At present, six international classification societies have gathered in Zhoushan area, including China Classification Society, American Bureau of Shipping, Det Norske Veritas, Japan Classification Society, Lloyd's Register of Shipping, and European Bureau Veritas. The Russian classification society has started the work of settling down.