Classification society DNV and Atlas Corp.’s(“Atlas”) shipping arm, Seaspan Corporation(“Seaspan”), the world’s largest independent containership owner and operator, have set up a Joint Atlas-Seaspan and DNV Collaboration Space(“JCS”) in Shanghai, bringing the two parties’ multifaceted partnership to new heights.
The grand opening ceremony of the JCS was witnessed by Bing Chen, President and CEO of Atlas; Kun Li, Senior Vice President of Seaspan; and Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen, CEO of DNV Maritime, who was joined by Norbert Kray, DNV Regional Manager for Greater China.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Bing Chen, Atlas President and CEO, said: “Seaspan has been in close co-operation with DNV over the past 20 years, focusing on both our quality vessel operations and our innovative newbuild programs. The establishment of a JCS in Shanghai marks a significant milestone of the partnership between the two entities. The JCS shall serve as an interactive platform for expertise across the two entities to exchange experiences and insights. On behalf of our management, commercial and operations teams, we look forward to the strengthening of our collaboration and joint expansion into new areas including onshore and offshore renewable energies, decarbonization and digitalization, which Atlas has been strategically focusing on.”
Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen, DNV Maritime CEO, said: “DNV and Seaspan share the same values on safety, quality, innovation, sustainability and collaboration. The JCS in Shanghai is a new and exciting dimension of our strategic partnership, ensuring easy access to expertise in decarbonization and digitalization, and deeper cooperation between our leadership teams in Asia. I very much look forward to the many fresh impulses to shipping’s green transition this new collaboration space will bring.”
DNV and Seaspan’s collaboration spans more than two decades. DNV has been an instrumental partner in Seaspan’s rapid container fleet development which now comprises 201 vessels including newbuilds, ranging from 2,500 TEU to 24,000 TEU, with the majority of ships classed by DNV.
The JCS shall continue to support ongoing and future newbuild programs of Seaspan in Asia, and further facilitate new areas of cooperation beyond the maritime industry, such as renewable energy and R&D.