Our Intrepid Asian Traveler Reports From Qingdao

We admit to a healthy respect and some awe at the economic might flexed daily in the Asian world. The constant clang of steel in Singapore’s development, the sheer size of HK’s real estate development, the Rolls Royce style quality of an Imabari 28k handy, or the spread of newbuildings at Hyundai Heavy – so many it dwarfs the number of big commercial ships built in the entire US throughout this writer’s entire career.

This week Qingdao, with its vast and historic port, its world class clients and shipping partners hosted Cosco‘s World Shipping Summit (please note the organizers in perhaps a nod to modesty call it the World Shipping (China) Summit – believe us China is an identifier not a limiter!) and out did them all for these two days. 900 guests, every major liner company, financial institutions, yards, ports, railroads, government ministries, trade associations came and were delighted.

The hospitality was delightful but the messages of confidence, recovery, environmental protection and the enormous value of open world trade were powerful. And for those who know Captain Wei Jiafu know also the passion, conviction and energy with which they were delivered.

Partnership, customer service, innovation, corporate alliances and repeated calls for scrapping served as inspiration.

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New Commodore

The Connecticut Maritime Association (“CMA”) went out of the box with this year’s pick for the 2009 Commodore. Captain Wei Jiafu, the President and CEO of China Ocean Shipping (Group) Company has been named the CMA Commodore for 2009 and will receive the award at the gala dinner which concludes the CMA Conference in March.

It is hard to argue with the choice given China’s preeminent role in world trade and the important role that COSCO plays in ensuring the inflow of raw materials and the outflow of finished goods for what has become the world’s industrial manufacturing center. By honoring what is probably the world’s largest shipping company, the CMA has met its diversity goals by including for the first time in its shipping pantheon a liner company.

Congratulations Captain Wei. The lines of people anxious to meet you are already forming.