DNV Academy Guangzhou to serve South China maritime industry
Guangzhou— The world leading classification society Det Norske Veritas (DNV) today officially opened a Maritime Academy in Guangzhou. The fourth in Greater China, “DNV Academy Guangzhou” is dedicated to serving the rapidly growing maritime industry in South China and to helping this industry excel in their business.
“We feel increasingly demand from our customers for quality and technology improvement during these times of their rapid ascent up the ship value chain,” says Bjørn K. Haugland, Regional Manager for DNV Greater China, “DNV, which has roots in China dating back to Xiamen in 1888, is committed to assisting the industry continuously improve its performance and quality.”
DNV has established a network of academies globally to provide training in basic skills and knowledge fundamental to the shipping and shipbuilding industries.
“DNV Academy is a way for us to impart knowledge and expertise to our customers by drawing on the decades of accumulated experience, research and development that DNV has accrued globally.” adds Haugland.
The Academy will provide the maritime industry with technical expertise by running regular courses for shipbuilders, designers, owner’s site teams and superintendents. It offers a wide range of training courses including standard and customized programmes to meet cusomers’ specific needs.
DNV inaugurated its first academy in Dalian in June 2005. The other two academies were opened in Hong Kong and Shanghai in March 2006.
These academies have received warmly welcome and earned very positive feedback from the industry. More than 1000 maritime professionals have been trained through the academies by the end of 2006.
“By opening this Guangzhou Academy, we get closer to our customers which will make our training offerings more easily accessible as well as cutting travelling costs for the participants. This is an important step in our continuous efforts to better serve our clients and meeting their training needs.” Says Frankie Ho, District Manager for DNV Maritime South China.
He pointed out that shipbuilding and repair in South China is going through a rapid expansion with the opening of the Longxue Shipbuilding Base under China State Shipbuilding Corp, strengthening of other well-established yards and the appearance of privately-owned shipyards.
DNV has been experiencing a fast growth in the booming Chinese shipbuilding market. In 2006 alone, DNV received a record high of 150 vessels new building contracts representing 10.3 million DWT.
“DNV will continue to reinforce its position in China as a partner to our maritime clients by not only providing classification services but also help the industry to improve and develop technological competence. The opening of the DNV Academy Guangzhou demonstrates this commitment.” Concludes Haugland.