Win-win Cooperation Roundtable Seminar between Shipowners & Shippers was Successfully Held

On November 24th, 2011, a win-win cooperation roundtable seminar between shipowners and shippers organized by China Shippowners’ Association and Beijing Kun Gen Media Planning Co., Ltd. and ShippingChina (www.shippingchina.com) was successfully held in Shanghai. More than 50 representatives from China Shippowners’ Association, shipper companies and related scientific research institution and academies participated. Mr. Zhang Shouguo, Executive Vice Chairman and Secretary General of China Shipowners' Association hosted the seminar and addressed welcoming speech.

Mr. Zhang Shouguo pointed out that the overall downturn of international economic environment had a tremendous impact on the shipping industry. He said the overall shipping industry market is under downturn. Under such circumstances, shipowners and shippers should positively enhance exchange and cooperation and communicate with authorities and experts in time. China Shipowners' Association is under the leadership of the Ministry of Transport. As a social organization, its responsibility is providing services to shipowners, shippers and other relevant organizations and individuals. He hoped that all participants should actively and enthusiastically speak up at the seminar to make comments and suggestions to China Shipowners' Association and the development of Chinese shipping industry.

In order to protect domestic shipping market’s stable development and to guide and optimize the rational allocation of social resources, on October 18th, 2011, the Ministry of Transport officially promulgated an announcement: “Announcement of further Standardizing Shippers’ Investment to Domestic Shipping Industry". It states that those shippers who do need to develop their own ships should guide their assets to be the link to set up shipping company and establish long-term win-win cooperation relationship with big backbone shipping enterprise . It also clearly defines that only one joint venture shipping company under holding by a shipping enterprise is allowed to be established under one-same-shipper-company rule. It will be coordinated by China Shipowners' Association for rationally controlling its freight capability and preventing shipping enterprise invested by shippers using its dominant position to expand freight capability under the circumstances that the domestic shipping market is obviously oversupply. Under this background, China Shipowners' Association organized this roundtable seminar to promote and implement the spirit of the "Announcement" and to motivate win-win cooperation between China shipping enterprises and shippers by organizing shipowners, shippers and experts to communicate each other.

The seminar was kept going the whole morning and with significant effect. With its sub-meeting form showed at 2011 the 5th GSS, it further increased the effect of the GSS.