In October, IMS is host to two Chinese delegations from the Hubei province, where our j/v TNGC and our co-operation with Wuhan Transportation University is located.
Further expansion of co-operation
The first delegation of eight senior government and business officials was headed by H.E. the Governor of Hubei province, Mr. Jiang Zhuping. Their visit to Oslo was part of a tour that included Sweden and Finland. The delegation met amongst others with Minister of Trade and Industry: Mr. Lars Sponheim, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, members of Parliament, the senior management at Det norske Veritas, the Lord Mayor of Oslo: Mr. Per Ditlev-Simonsen and the Chinese Embassy.
The delegation also visited the IMS Oslo office for a presentation on IMS and also the formal signing of a Letter of Intent to further expand the co-operation with the province and our Chinese j/v partner, the Hubei Tianfa group.
Visit from the Wuhan Transportation University (WTU)
October 12-15, IMS will also host a special delegation from WTU. The guests will visit the simulator centre in Trondheim and the Maritime School in Borre in addition to our offices and those of Det norske Veritas. IMS has an operational office in Wuhan as well as our Skaugen Training Centre – in co-operation with the Wuhan Transportation University. The training centre is now certified to issue licenses for crew and officers handling dangerous cargoes and has invested in a fire-fighting field.
Another "first" for I.M. Skaugen
In 3Q99 IMS reached a milestone by being the first in the world to have a full semi-refrigerated gas carrier crew from China. We will now have two NGC vessels with full Chinese crews. The crews have been recruited and trained through our training centre. Our subsidiary; Princess Carriers has had a full Chinese crew since 1997 as an element in our overall strategy.
IMS' strategy in China
IMS' strategy in China is to develop the market potential for gas transport through the joint venture company TNGC as well as establish an organisation which will contribute to a more efficient management of our Asian fleet. IMS established an office in Shanghai in 1995, and signed a joint venture agreement with Hubei Tianfa in the summer of 1996 for transport of LPG on the Yangtze river.
Hubei Province is home to some 60 million people, and the capital is Wuhan. The GDP growth in this province was above 10% during all of 1998, and this positive development continues in 1999. It is located in the central area of China, and the key transportation route, the Yangtze river, passes through the province and the capital. The key development project for the Hubei province is the "Three Gorges" project that will enable flood control and also create substantial more hydroelectric power for China.