Successful year for LR in China and Korea

LR’s share of 2010 orders is, respectively, 29.6% in China and 28.3% in Korea by number of ships according to data supplied by Clarksons Research Services. While orders are from traditional areas of strength such as Greece, the continued expansion of shipowning in Asia is also driving demand.

It’s been an exciting year’, said Nick Brown, marine country manager, China. ‘We have made a huge investment in China and have developed innovative services to support Chinese shipbuilders and both Chinese and international owners building in China. We have been listening to yards and owners and providing the services that they need. It’s very rewarding to see the market recognising this investment and placing their trust in Lloyd’s Register in China.”

In their annual survey LR was recognised as the leading classification society by the Korean Shipbuilders’ Association (KOSHIPA). Country manager in Korea, Luis Benito: “We are doing all that we can to help ensure consistent, safe, service delivery and we see this recognition as a great honour, as well as a reflection of the hard work put in by our teams to support Korean newbuilding projects.”

In both China and Korea, as also worldwide, LR’s efforts share a common theme: helping ensure quality. But the challenges in the two countries are different. In Korea shipbuilding is more established and is consolidated in fewer shipbuilding groups. The Busan Design Support Office (DSO) has been expanding its services to shipyards through design support and technical advice for ships being built by Korean shipbuilding groups outside of Korea as well as ‘in-country’ construction. Additionally, rules and support for new technologies and structures such as floating offshore installations are being provided as Korean yards expand into new areas.

LR in China has led the group in developing technical performance management services and oversight, focusing on the quality of welding, materials and components, non destructive examination (NDE) and coating application. New gap analysis services were evolved by LR in China to help shipyards understand, and then deliver, required standards, in paint coatings and welding and NDE. Through these gap analysis services the group is able to help yards identify what they need to do to deliver the standards expected by both local and international shipowners. Through training and improvement programmes provided by LR, the shipyards are able to upgrade and enhance their performance.

LR’s training is also important. The third wave of delegates graduated last September from LR’s 25 week intensive programme at the ‘marine surveyor training institute’ in Shanghai. The MSTI’s innovative programme provides a highly structured approach to technical training and is the bedrock of ongoing staff development, comprising training in corporate values and ethics and interpersonal skills as well as technical aspects under the mentorship of dedicated MSTI instructors. The MSTI graduates are now in the field putting their knowledge to good use.

With the industry looking to develop new, more efficient designs, in both Korea and China Lloyd’s Register has an impressive project workload supporting owners’ and yards’ ambitions. Hydrodynamics, LNG as fuel, nuclear propulsion and other new technologies are on the table. Projects such as the Bestway bulk carrier project in Shanghai demonstrate how LR’s technical expertise can provide real value and support to designers and owners both at the initial design concept stages and deliver real results in efficiency benefits, an 18% improvement in the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) over previous designs whilst lifting more cargo. Innovative projects like this benefit yards, owners and the environment and are further proof that environmental Asia is responding to the environmental challenge.