Lloyd's steps up activity
LLOYD'S Register plans to set up another office in Beijing.
It is also sending experts to China to provide training and support in technical matters and certification.
The firm has been involved in ship certification on the mainland for more than 10 years.
The Lloyd's chief representative for China, C L Foo, said the company would certify the design, drawing, fabrication and technology of 39 ships under construction at Dalian, Guangzhou, Tianjin and Shanghai shipyards.
Two employees from state-owned China Ocean Shipping will be sent to the Lloyd's office in Yokohama, Japan, for training in ship drawing inspection.
Lloyd's will also offer scholarships for Chinese mariners to study in Britain, covering topics such as environmental protection.
Lloyd's is now working at the Yacheng and Huizhou offshore oil and gas fields in the South China Sea, certifying procurement, fabrication, installation and commissioning.
Lloyd's entered into a co-operative agreement with a Chinese group to certify containers manufactured for London-based Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation at the Guangzhou shipyard and at Yangzhou Tongyun - a container-maker in Jiangsu province.
China ranks about fifth among world shipbuilders, and about third in terms of orders on hand.
Annual capacity is now about four million tonnes, with annual output of about three million tonnes.
Chinese ships have been sold to more than 40 countries, including Japan and South Korea - shipbuilders in their own right - Hong Kong, the United States and several European countries.
