â– Shanghai needs “national team” members like China Classification Society (CCS) to join forces. Both parties will collaborate through policy coordination, data sharing, and technological breakthroughs to jointly build an international shipping service innovation hub. For CCS to advance further, it must leverage the global shipping resources, financial resources, and sci-tech innovation resources concentrated in Shanghai’s “Five Centers.”
â– Next, CCS also plans to establish an International Technical Standards Innovation Center for Ships and Offshore Structures and an International Exchange and Cooperation Center for Shipping Technology in Shanghai, empowering shipping development through technological innovation and building a high-end global maritime cooperation platform.
The construction of an international shipping center has reached another milestone. On July 22, CCS took its first step to enhance its functions in Shanghai, officially relocating its international ship inspection business operations to the city.
CCS had previously established inspection institutions such as the Shanghai Branch in the city, but decision-making for ship inspection operations remained in Beijing. Now, the decision-making team has moved from Beijing to Shanghai—not merely a functional transfer but a profound customer-centric transformation.
A CCS representative explained that in the past, ship inspection departments were divided by business segments, with design review, construction, products, and operational inspections handled by separate units. This restructuring reshapes workflows, creating a one-stop service platform in Shanghai to better align with customer needs, achieve efficient responses to market demands, and expand the breadth and depth of local collaboration.
For this “migration,” CCS selected top talent and formed a new team. Hong Bo, Deputy Director of the International Ship Inspection Business Operations Center, said team members are prepared to put down roots in Shanghai and eagerly contribute to the city’s international shipping center development.
The public may be unfamiliar with classification societies, but they are the cornerstone of global shipping operations. Without inspection services from a classification society, no commercial vessel can enter operation. From billion-dollar ship assets to high-end shipping services like shipping finance, insurance, and arbitration, all rely on the authoritative endorsement of vessel safety and reliability provided by classification societies.
Classification societies do more than inspection services—they also set technical standards for ships. As the shipping industry moves toward green and smart technologies, certifications for clean energy and even onshore facilities depend on classification societies’ technical expertise and authoritative validation.
Shanghai’s international shipping center construction is accelerating, with strengthening high-end shipping services as a key focus. Zhu Hao, a researcher at the Shanghai Municipal Transportation Commission’s Shipping Division, stated that Shanghai needs “national team” members like CCS. Both sides will collaborate through policy coordination, data sharing, and technological breakthroughs to jointly build an international shipping service innovation hub.
Meanwhile, CCS, which aims to become a world-class classification society, urgently needs Shanghai. As China’s leading ship inspection authority, CCS oversees over 200 million gross tons of ships, including 173 million gross tons of classed vessels, ranking fifth globally. To advance further, it must leverage the global shipping, financial, and sci-tech innovation resources concentrated in Shanghai’s “Five Centers.” “In Shanghai, CCS can spark innovation with top global shipping companies, financial institutions, and research universities,” said Zhang Jieshu, Secretary-General of the Shanghai International Shipping Institute.
“CCS’s functional system reform is a chemical reaction, and relocating ship inspection operations to Shanghai is finding the best catalyst,” said Jiang Yafeng, Deputy President of CCS. Next, CCS plans to establish an International Technical Standards Innovation Center for Ships and Offshore Structures and an International Exchange and Cooperation Center for Shipping Technology in Shanghai, empowering shipping development through technological innovation and building a high-end global maritime cooperation platform.
The “mutual pursuit” between CCS and Shanghai will undoubtedly open a new chapter in the construction of Shanghai’s international shipping center.
