The 5th Annual Capital Link International Shipping Forum, China was successfully conducted despite the world battling the Coronavirus pandemic. This year, the concept of the Forum was changed from the traditional attendance-in-person format to that of a digital conference in support of and compliance with safety measures imposed by various governments to manage and control the spread of Covid-19. Despite the change in format, the 5th Annual Capital Link International Shipping Forum, China, continue to offer the highlights of previous physical conferences such as a wide range of industry participants, exhibition by industry players, and networking lounges for participants to interact with the speakers, shipping industry executives such as owners, commercial and investment bankers, investors and analysts.
尽管新冠疫情袭扰全球，中国资本链接国际航运论坛仍如约召开。不同于往年，应各国各级政府预防新冠肺炎传播的要求，今年论坛采用线上论坛的形式。除会议形式方面的变化，论坛同往届一样吸引了广泛的行业精英出席并发表演讲，同时为航运业人士，船东，公司，投资银行，投资商等提供了交流平台。
As co-host of the event, Singhai Marine Services had worked closely with Capital Link and the Shanghai Pudong New Area Commission of Commerce for the past few months to ensure that we can continue the tradition of having an annual Capital Link International Shipping Forum despite the Covid19 pandemic and contributed significantly to the success of this digital conference.
作为会议的协办方，上海森海海事协同资本链接及上海自由贸易试验区商务委员会，几个月来，面对疫情带来的挑战，为论坛的顺利举办和开展付出了巨大努力，做出了卓越贡献。
The 5th Annual Capital Link International Shipping Forum, China was very honoured to have Mr. Zhang Lin, Deputy Director General of Shanghai Municipal Transportation Commission, to deliver the Opening Address, and H.E. Ioannis Plakiotakis, Minister of Maritime Affairs & Insular Policy, Hellenic Republic, and Mr. Vassilios Demetriades, Shipping Deputy Minister of Cyprus, as keynote speakers.
此第五届资本链接国际航运论坛，我们有幸邀请到上海市交通委员会副主任，张林先生进行开幕致辞，同时希腊航运部部长H.E. Ioannis Plakiotakis先生，塞浦路斯航运部部长Vassilios Demetriades分别发表了主题演讲。
Summary of Opening Address by Mr. Zhang Lin, Deputy Director General of Shanghai Municipal Transportation Commission.
上海市交通委员会副主任，张林先生在开幕致辞
After welcoming all participants of the 5th Capital Link International Shipping Forum, China, Mr. Zhang Lin, Deputy Director of General of Shanghai Municipal Transportation Commission, noted that four Capital Link International Shipping Forums had been held in Shanghai since 2016 and this year had adopted a digital form due to Covid-19. He re-iterated that the Capital Link brand is widely recognized and valued worldwide for its interactive element and seamless delivery of quality informational and educational content. While Covid-19 has affected global economy, he praised the shipping industry for their determination to ensure maritime trade remained open and maintain supply lines to support the economy and people’s daily life. As international economies are interdependent and intertwined, Mr. Zhang Lin stressed the use of intelligent means to seize the opportunities, use of capital innovation to sustain development, reducing costs and increasing efficiency are common challenges faced by shipping and financial institutions in the post Covid-19 era. He hoped the Capital Link International Shipping Forum, China, can provide enlightened solutions to tackle such challenges.
上海市交通委员会副主任，张林先生首先对莅临第五届资本链接国际航运论坛的嘉宾表示热烈欢迎，随后，他说道，此前的四届中国资本链接国际航运论坛均在上海召开，而今年出于疫情防控的考虑，论坛采用线上的形式开展。多年以来，资本链接以其互动元素和无缝交付高质量的信息和教育内容而在世界范围内得到广泛认可和重视。尽管疫情严重影响了世界经济的增长，但航运业，海员克服困难，基本维持了海上贸易的稳定和人民日常生活必需品的正常供应。经济全球化趋势不可逆转，张林先生强调要使用智能手段抓住机遇，利用资本创新来促进发展，降低成本和提高效率，尤其是从疫情的影响下尽快恢复。他希望中国资本链接国际航运论坛能够为解决问题指引方向。
Mr. Zhang Lin highlighted that Shanghai Pudong as the pioneer of China Reform and Open-Door policies had developed the world’s largest container port over the past 30 years. He said that a new wave of reforms has started. It is the Chinese government’s vision to help global economic recovery and create a sustainable shipping industry. Mr. Zhang Lin wished the forum a great success.
张林先生强调，上海浦东是中国改革开放的先锋，过去30年来已建成全球最大的集装箱码头，浦东新一轮改革开放已经启动，我们将积极响应党中央号召，促进航运业发展和全球经济复苏，最后，张林先生预祝大会圆满成功。
Summary of Keynote Address by H.E. Ioannis Plakiotakis, Minister of Maritime Affairs & Insular Policy, Hellenic Republic
希腊航运部部长H.E. Ioannis Plakiotakis先生，塞浦路斯航运部部长Vassilios Demetriades主题致辞
H.E. Ioannis Plakiotakis reiterated that both Greece and China play
complementary decisive roles in maritime trade. While Greece is a traditional maritime country owning major carriers plying the world’s maritime trade, China is the world’s most important import and export country with a highly developed shipbuilding industry and state of the art technologies. Strategic cooperation through combining the strengths of both will result in mutual assurance for their respective roles in the maritime domain. H.E. Ioannis Plakiotakis remarked that Greece is very pleased with Cosco’s investment in the port of Piraeus and the Greek government is determined to see it develop into one of the largest cargo ports in Europe and the main gateway for Chinese exports to the European continent. H.E. Ioannis Plakiotakis stressed that the ability of shipping services and seafarers to deliver vital goods are crucial to respond to, and eventually overcoming the Covid-19 pandemic. He highlighted that the Covid-19 pandemic has shown that shipping remains the most efficient and cost-effective method of international transportation and the leading facilitator of economic growth. For these reasons, shipping and seafarers must be fully supported so that they can fulfil their responsibilities. Finally, H.E. Ioannis Plakiotakis stressed that seafarers’ mobility worldwide needs to be assured through recognition as being “essential workers”, as mandated by IMO, ILO and the European Union.
H.E. Ioannis Plakiotakis先生指出，希腊和中国在航运业扮演着重要角色，希腊
是一个老牌海运强国，拥有从事世界海上贸易的主要承运人，而中国则是世界上最重要的进出口国，拥有高度发达的造船业和最先进的技术。两国进行战略合作，结合两者的优势，将有利于双方航运业的发展。H.E. Ioannis Plakiotakis先生表示，希腊对中远集团在比雷埃夫斯港口的投资感到非常满意，希腊政府决心将其发展成为欧洲最大的货运港口之一，并成为中国向欧洲大陆出口的主要门户。H.E. Ioannis Plakiotakis先生强调，航运服务能力是克服新冠疫情的关键，新冠疫情也进一步证明，航运仍然是国际运输的最有效和最具成本效益的方法，也是经济增长的主要动力。因此，各方必须充分支持航运，尤其要关心海员，H.E. Ioannis Plakiotakis指出，正如国际海事组织，国际劳工组织，欧盟强调的，船员是“关键工人”，船员的灵活运用和各项权益要由大家共同保障。
On behalf of the Greek government, H.E. Ioannis Plakiotakis congratulated the organizers for bringing together so many maritime leaders to provide their valuable insight for the future of shipping and wished every success to the works of the Forum and for delivering fruitful results.
代表希腊政府，H.E. Ioannis Plakiotakis先生祝贺大家共聚一堂，共襄盛举，希望论坛能继续为大家创造平台，为航运业亟待解决的问题提供指引和借鉴。
Summary of Keynote Address by Mr. Vassilios Demetriades, Shipping Deputy Minister of Cyprus
塞浦路斯航运部部长Vassilios Demetriades先生主题致辞
Mr.Vassilios Demetriades observed that while Covid-19 crisis has severely impacted the shipping industry and its operations, it had unexpectedly spurred the advancement of technology. Mr. Vassilios Demetriades highlighted that the shipping industry is currently witnessing many operational challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic ranging from ship delays, port closures as well as increased safety regulations for crew changeover. He informed the forum that Cyprus was one of the first countries worldwide that recognized seafarers as essential workers and introduced practical measures for crew changes.
Vassilios Demetriades先生谈到，新冠疫情对航运业造成了巨大冲击，但却出乎意料地刺激了技术的进步。Vassilios Demetriades先生指出，新冠疫情肆虐，航运业的正常运营面临挑战，船舶延误，港口封闭，船舶换员受限，而塞浦路斯是最早将海员视为“关键工人”并为应对换员困难积极努力的国家之一。
Mr.Vassilios Demetriades reiterated that the implementation of digital solutions can unlock enormous potential and bring benefits in many areas. To unlock these potentials, the Shipping Deputy Ministry of Cyprus is working towards the development of a digital port state control platform. Digital technologies have potential to reduce administrative burden. Cyprus has made significant progress to simplify formalities and to transform services to a paperless environment to increase efficiency and the attractiveness of the Cyprus Registry and its relevant services. Advanced resource optimization systems, automated cargo handling equipment and efficient information sharing between all actors will also help lower cost. New solutions can also be used for monitoring and controlling cargo, while data exchange between ships and ports can facilitate port call optimization. Beyond digitization, the shipping sector is in a period of profound transformation. The sector needs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, tackle air pollution and continue to provide attractive employment. Towards these ends, digital technologies is an important tool in coping with the green challenges.
Vassilios Demetriades先生重申，数字解决方案有着巨大潜力，在许多领域都能发挥优势，为此，塞浦路斯航运部正在努力开发数字港口国控制平台。利用数字技术减轻行政负担，简化办事手续，促进无纸办公，提高登记及其他行政办事的效率和吸引力，同时优化资源，提高货物装卸自动化，加强行业参与者之间有效的信息共享。数字解决方案还可以用于货物操作，船舶和港口之间的数据交换可以使靠离泊更加安全便捷。除了数字化，航运业正处于深刻变革的时期，航运要尽量减少温室气体排放，减少空气污染，同时还要创造有吸引力的就业机会。而数字技术是应对这些挑战的重要工具。
Inclosing, Mr. Vassilios Demetriades stressed that Covid-19 pandemic is no doubt a catalyst for change and adjusting to the “new normal” is not a cliché. He urged all players in the shipping domain to realize the importance of digital transformation embrace the digital transformation of their business models. The Cyprus Shipping Deputy Ministry, as the regulatory body for Cyprus shipping, is ready to listen carefully to the needs of the shipping community and work together with all the stakeholders to contribute effectively in making a positive difference for the global maritime sector.
Vassilios Demetriades总结道，新冠疫情无疑是改革催化剂，适应“新常态”也不仅仅是句口号，他敦促航运业相关人士认识到数字化转型的重要性，包括数字化对其业务模式和转型的重要作用。塞浦路斯航运部作为塞浦路斯航运的监管机构，做好了准备要认真听取船运界的需求，并与行业相关方共同努力，为全球航运的发展做出贡献。
Our Group MD, Mr. Terence Zhao Wei was invited to be a panelist in one of the hottest topics of discussion that concern every stakeholder in the shipping industry, i.e., “Navigating through and past the Covid-19 disruption-Human Element, Shipping & Global Supply Chain”. Mr. Terence Zhao Wei highlighted that during the initial coronavirus breakout, the world was staring at China as the first epicentre country. Because of this, many Chinese seafarers could not leave the country while Chinese seafarers at sea could only change crew in Chinese ports. He mentioned that it was fortunate that the Chinese government imposed decisive measures to control the virus and stop its spread in the country within a relatively short timeframe.The ability to control the virus gave demand for Chinese seafarers a dramatic uplift as the coronavirus situation worsen in many other countries while China recovered quickly from the initial set back. The delivery of new-built and the requirement of crew changes resulted in a sudden high surge in demand for Chinese seafarers. While the high demand for Chinese seafarers made the market very competitive it also raised the salary expectations of Chinese sea farers. Regarding the issue of relaxing crew change restrictions in China, Mr. Terence Zhao Wei advised industry players to be more proactive and plan early for crew changes. He mentioned that while the Chinese government had done a lot to facilitate crew changes, it is still difficult nevertheless to change foreign crew in Chinese ports at this moment stemming from a genuine worry of a surge in imported Covid 19 cases resulting from such crew changes. Mr. Terence Zhao Wei shared that the management and control of Covid-19 is the top KPI for Chinese government’s maritime officials.
森海董事总经理赵玮先生受邀参与航运业热门话题专题讨论-应对疫情，走出困境（人力，航运及全球供应链）赵玮先生强调，新冠疫情爆发之初，世界各国将中国视作疫区，中国船员因此上船无望，而在船的中国船员也只有在中国港口才能休假下船。他指出，多亏中国政府及时采取防控措施，在较短的时间内，及时有效的防止了疫情的进一步扩散，虽然中国的疫情得到了控制，社会生活各个方面迅速恢复，但其他国家仍然面临比较严峻的挑战，航运业对中国船员的需求因此不断攀升。尤其在接送新建船舶方面对中国船员需求巨大。市场对中国船员需求增大的同时，船员对工资的期待也水涨船高。就中国逐渐放松换员限制等问题，赵玮先生建议船东能够积极主动，尽早制定换员计划。中国政府做了一系列工作为换员提供便利，但同时在中国港口进行外籍船员换员仍然不太可能，主要是出于预防输入性病例增长的考虑，赵玮先生同大家分享到，预防新冠疫情的传播目前是中国海事局工作的重中之重。
Other interesting panel discussion topics during the 5th Annual Capital Link International Shipping Forum included “Opportunities and Challenges in shipping from Chinese and International Ship Owners’perspective”, which focused on the shipping markets outlook, Covid-19 challenges and beyond, energy and commodity flows, investment opportunities, access to capital and operational and regulatory changes, “Smart Shipping” that examined usage of new management models, technology, and collaboration in the shipping eco-system, and how owners, shipyards, ports and other industry stakeholders can use both digital and human intelligence for future growth and finally “Chinese Shipyard and International Ship Owners – Addressing the New landscape in Regulations and Technology”, which focused on the challenges faced by ship owners and the shipbuilding industry, the challenges of the pandemic,new fuel, ship design and engine requirements as the result of environmental regulations and market/charterer expectations.
论坛期间，其他专题讨论 “中国船东与国际船东视角下，航运业的机遇与挑战”，重点展望了航运业的未来，探讨了新冠疫情带来的挑战，交流了能源和商品流通，投资机会，融资，运营及法规变更等。“智能航运”论证了新管理模型，技术的使用，揭示了航运生态协作，为船东，船厂，港口及航运业其他相关方结合数字技术和人类智慧发展航运业提供了启发。“中国船厂和国际船东–应对法规，采用新技术”，重点指出船东和造船业，所面临的新挑战，尤其是疫情带来的挑战，以及环境保护，市场及租船方对燃料，船舶设计，轮机设计方面的新要求。
There were 3 topics of particular interest for shipping finance executives, i.e. “International Ship Owners Raising Capital in China and beyond”, which discussed various financing options available to international shipping companies, “Finance Solutions for the Shipping Industry” which discussed the adaptability of China leasing industry to the current market challenges including the pandemic, market volatility, technological change and increasing regulation. Last but not least “A New Era for Equity Investment in Shipping” which explored equity investment and its associated opportunities and challenges in emerging markets.
此外，航运金融相关的三个专题讨论也吸引了众多目光，一、“国际船东在中国内外融资”，讨论了适用于国际船东的各项融资方案。二、“航运业的融资解决方案”，讨论了中国租赁行业对于当前疫情挑战，市场波动，技术变革以及法规革新的适应能力。三、“航运业股权投资的新时代”，探讨了股权投资及其在新兴市场中的机遇和挑战。
The 5th Annual Capital Link International Shipping Forum, China witnessed the presentation of the “2020 Capital Link China Shipping Leadership Award” to Professor Yu Qing Sun, President of Dalian Maritime University, China, in recognition of his excellent leadership in making Dalian Maritime University a world class university and for leading many maritime education projects at both Chinese and international levels. Professor Yu Qing Sun, in turn, took the occasion of his award presentation to present a topic of interest on maritime education in the context of intelligent shipping.
第五届资本链接国际航运论坛见证了2020中国资本链接航运杰出领袖的诞生，中国大连海事大学校长孙玉清教授获此殊荣，多年来，其发挥突出了领导才能将大连海事大学建成了世界一流的海事院校，在海事教育等众多方面表现突出，孙教授获奖致辞期间同大家共同分享了智慧航运下的海事教育工作。
To conclude, the 5th Annual Capital Link International Shipping Forum, China digital conference has been extremely successful. It was well-attended by more than 650 shipping industry executives, such as owners, commercial and investment bankers, investors, analysts and a wide range of other industry participants despite being held during the Covid19 pandemic which reflects the importance and priority that participants accorded the Forum. The major speakers and delegates had shared and exchanged useful ideas on critical shipping industry topics especially issues related to the impact of Covid-19.
第五届资本链接国际航运论坛中国线上论坛成功落下了帷幕，虽然新冠疫情仍在肆虐，会议还是成功吸引了650多位航运精英，公司代表，船东，投行，投资商等的参与，论坛的影响力、号召力以及重要程度可见一斑，同时会议也就新冠疫情的影响以及其他航运业热门话题，为参会者提供了交流想法的平台，为大家共克难关指明了方向。
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