A few photographs from the China trip



A slighly curious sign on the Bund in Shanghai

The waiting hall at Shanghai's Hongqiao Station from where the 'bullet' train to Beijing leaves

An interesting coffee machine which served us at the station cafe

Our train from Shanghai to Nanjing

A welcome statue at the Nanjing hotel

The above's partner at Nanjing

Sunday 10th July

Awoke to ....shock horror....blue skies. The whole week the city had been shrouded in a gloomy smog and at times it had been hard to see across the river. Sunday dawned bright and clear and the city unfolded in full glory. I spent the morning polishing up the report on the trip and packing.

A very smart Mercedes awaited to pick me up at about 12.30 p.m. and the very attentive driver put on gentle music and adjusted the temperature as well as providing a cold towel. The trip to the airport at Pudong took about 35 minutes and was uneventful.

At the airport it was all efficiency with a quick check in and very easy immigration and security clearance. The shopping area at the airport seems to be filled with Chinese goods and many silk-looking ladies' clothes, teapots and other souvenirs. The airport is large modern airy and comfortable.

Boarding was on time and I had managed to get a seat at the bulkhead which gave a little more legroom. Take-off was delayed for about an hour for 'weather reasons' - I think this mean a thunderstorm, perhaps spawned from the typhoon which was moving up the coast but weakening. The flight was long but uneventful and I was glad to see Newark Airport although it paled by comparison with Pudong.

Home at last.

Saturday 9th July

We returned to Hudong Shipyard office for a further meeting and a Q & A on the specification. It was another hot day. Returning to the hotel we had lunch and retired to the business center to draft up reports and other documents about the trip. We had dinner in the hotel with our Fearnleys colleagues and after a nightcap, went early to bed as some had an early start in the morning.

Some initial reflections and observations on a week in China in 2011

I have been to China before, indeed as a teenager in the early 1960's, I visited the port of Dalian in northern China on two occasions. Of course at that time Red Guards were on the streets and the powers of Mao was at its height. Martial music played constantly and our movements were severely limited. We were allowed to exchange some Chinese money but had to hand any unspent money over to the authorities when we left. I visited Beijing in 2002 and the changes between the two visits were quantum. In the 9 years since that visit things have changed again by a huge order of magnitude. Of course, I am talking about cities and not the countryside where the situation is probably similar to that of the '60's with somewhat less of the political element.

Shanghai is, it goes without saying, not typical of all China by any means. The first impression on arrival at Pudong Airport is scale. China has developed its infrastructure with the full realization that its 1.3 billion population are evolving fast and citizens who may have toiled in rice fields adjacent to their home for all their lives a few years ago are now traveling within the country and even abroad. The airports are very spacious and clean and facilities are available and convenient. Although not, perhaps an economical success the maglev trains which tales a passenger part way into the city for a very reasonable CNY 50 (about $8), is a technical marvel. Fast (300 kph) clean and comfortable it is the way all transfers from airport to city should be made and compares very favorably with any of the transfer options at New York's three airports.

Shanghai city is a wonderful mix of the old colonial architecture which is most evident along Bund on the banks of the Huangpu River, a busy waterway which runs through the heart of the city. These old buildings many built by the Brits have been well-preserved and contrast well with the dramatic high rise buildings, many architecturally stunning which form the rest of the city. The city is criss-crossed by elevated highways with multiple level interchanges. In this respect, maybe the Chinese didn't get the scale issue quite right. It is estimated that 9,000 additional cars a day enter the car population of Shanghai. That is an increase of 3.3m vehicles per year if the present escalation continues. The traffic jams on these elevated highways is stark testament to this rapid growth. Driving disciplines are less than polite and lane changing is a way of life all of which simply exacerbates the tie-ups. There has also been a transition from the bicycle-borne masses to scooters although in the quieter areas of the city it is still possible to see bicycles laden with goods.

Without using too many clichés, China is a country of contrasts and it is possible to pass from high luxury to much more basic living conditions in quite a short distance. What is incontrovertible is that China is developing at a phenomenal rate. There is construction at every turn. The shipyard facilities we have seen have ranged from fairly basic to almost space age and the plans for further development will make the industry very strong although perhaps a bit over-populated. All this growth in every area has, in many cases been accompanied by some lack of quality and this is not surprising. As each area matures, the quality starts to come and most people tell you that, in the shipbuilding industry, for example, China is now where Korea was in the 1990's but moving fast up the scale to equal or overtake its rivals.

The Chinese I have met are undoubtedly very proud of their country and are anxious to reach new heights. There seem to be opportunities for those young people who are willing to become educated although the opportunity may not be open to all. There is a migration from the countryside to the city and the surround dings of the city are ringed with a forest of high rise apartment buildings.

The rail system is very efficient and fast and reasonably priced by western standards although it might be less so for the residents.

All in all, the growth of China is almost palpable – if one is (anecdotally) able to watch bamboo grow, then China is like bamboo, one can almost watch it grow from day to day. Where this will all lead, who knows but the determination, work ethic and the industriousness which is innate in the Chinese will push them to greater heights and the world will really only be able to watch and wonder.

China will be a place you will have to visit every year (or even month!!) to monitor the changes. It is nothing short of a wonder, even if some parts of the wonder are good and others, by western viewpoint, less good one gets the impression that China is well-aware of its strengths and weaknesses and is working to hone the former and correct the latter as long as the latter are not a hindrance to progress.

A word of advice, if you plan to come, avoid July, it is very hot and very humid and there is a pall of haze over the city which may be caused by some temperature inversion over the Yangtze delta or by pollution or a combination of both. It is sometimes so bad that one can hardly see across the river. The weather and air conditions make for uncomfortable conditions out in the open air.

 

Friday 8th July 2011

Up early as usual and did some housekeeping work on notes from meetings and writing the blog posts. Still having a frustrating time with the camera. The new camera needs a Flash Card Reader which i don't have so I am not able, at this point to get either the pictures from the new or the old camera.

After breakfast we were picked up in the omni-present minibus and were taken on the 20 minute drive to the Pudong location of the Hudong Zhonghua Shipyard (HZ). The weather was forecast to be slightly cooler today and traffic for some reason was light.We arrived at the yard and were shown into the main boardroom where we met with various members of the yard staff to discuss the ACL G-4 project. After breaking for a usual 'light' Chinese lunch at about 11.30 a.m. we departed for a yard tour. First we were made to watch a safety video to ensure that we did not have any accident. We ere then given fetching boiler suits, safety belts, stout shoes and nice blue helmets before setting out. We began our tour at the Pudong location where some LNG carriers are being built. We saw the engine shed and some of the prefabrication areas.

Then it was 'back on the bus' and off to the Chongming Isalnd yard. This is a new yard which is in Phase 1 of development and which will be huge when it is complete. the road took us into a 9 km tunnel under part of the Yangtze estuary and onto the island. We took a short tour of the yard and then boarded the OOCL Canada a newly completed 8,888 TEU container ship which will be delivered to its owners OOCL on 15th July 2011. The ship is very smart and we toured the engine room and the bridge. The vessel carries containers 9-high on deck!!!! By the time we had toured the vessel we were all in our usual sweat-soaked state. So then we set off back to the Pudong yard office to disrobe. We wrapped up our meeting with a good presentation from the Quality Control group and then a short meeting with ABS who are resident in the yard, mainly supervising the LNG new-buildings.

Then back to the hotel, a couple of cold beers and a review of the day plus some strategizing about how to proceed in the future. I think we have an outline plan mapped out and we will just need to 'pu the flesh on it'.

We repaired to the Nadaman Japanese restaurant in the hotel for an excellent Japanese meal accompanied by sake and beer, a really good way to end the day. Off to bed, to prepare for our last working day in China for this trip.

Thursday 7th July 2011

I woke up to find out that my relatively new camera had decided to malfunction. It kept telling me that the battery would not work in this camera which is stupid as it is the battery which came with the camera and has worked well with it up until now. Using both the original and replacement battery, both fully charged, I could not get it to work which means, temporarily, at least, the photos I have there are 'frozen'. Much frustration.
After breakfast we were picked up to be taken to the Jiangsu yard location of the JinLing company. This yard, situated on the banks of the Yangtze River about an hour's steaming from the sea is huge, 900K M2 with two very large dry docks. We made brief tour of the facility thankfully mostly in the minibus which had some air-conditioning as the temperature and humidity were rising rapidly and the 'wet shirt syndrome' was soon in evidence. The yard is quite impressive and certainly of an order of magnitude better quality-wise than what we have seen. After the yard tour we were invited to lunch. As it was 11 a.m. and most of us had had breakfast at 7.30 a.m., no one was really in the mood for a large lunch and large lunch it was. It was another of those large round table 'lazy susan' affairs with multiple dishes coming in what was an almost endless procession, fish, chicken feet, Nanjing duck (of which they are very proud "better than Beijing duck"), vegetables, shrimp, meatballs, pork and what was something which seemed to be pastrami. Some was spicy and some not. Fortunately, as it was lunch time they forgo the wine and alcohol and just have beer and green tea instead.

Saying our goodbyes, we left the yard in the minibus for the station to take the train back to Shanghai. We arrived in good time and were about to relax when we were told it as the wrong station. We had to quickly recall the minibus and get them to drive us the considerable distance to the right station. We arrived with seconds to spare and settled into the very comfortable seats on the train for the relaxing ride back to Shanghai. That was enough excitement for today, especially given the climate.

Henrik and I, after check in went out to do some shopping, Henrik for some toiletries and me for a new camera. The shopping malls around the hotel seem mainly to be designer clothes shops so we took a cab to another mall where we had been told there would be cameras. There, on the 7^th floor we did find a shop and the helpful staff soon had me outfitted with a new Canon camera. Prices are not any cheaper than in USA or Europe. This day was the hottest of the year so far with the temperature reaching 41 deg C or 104 deg F. So when we returned to the hotel, a large cold beer was welcome and we obliged.

We changed and then to the bar again for cocktails with our Italian and Norwegian colleagues to meet the Shanghai representative of American Bureau of Shipping. We discussed the various yards that we have selected and he was able to add useful information to our survey. Dinner was in the French restaurant Jade in the hotel and the meal was excellent.

That concluded the day, tomorrow is for the nearby yard of Hudong.

Wednesday 6th July 2011

Up early for breakfast in the hotel. The day dawned with a small hint of blue sky, Shanghai seeming to have a permanent pall of haze hanging over it. Our driver took us to Hongqiao Airport, the internal domestic airport for Shanghai and where the 'bullet trains' depart. The station is vast in size with a waiting room which must be able to accommodate several football fields. The station is extremely impressive. As we had arrived early at the station we were able to have a cup of coffee and see a really remarkable coffee machine which was used at our table.
We boarded the train at about 9.20 a.m. a sleek and modern-looking v vehicle. At 9.27 a.m. precisely we pulled out of the station for our trip to Nanjing. The train was very smooth, quiet and comfortable. The train made several stops along the way and about two hours later we arrived in Nanjing a former capital of China. In Chinese Nan = south; Bei = north; jing = big city, Thus Nanjing, 'South big city', Beijing, North big city.
We were taken to the hotel where we checked in and had lunch. We then drove to the Jinling shipyard where we were introduced to the management and discussed the project. Later in the afternoon, we went for our yard tour. The heat by this time was awful and my shirt was soon wet through with sweat. We saw the remarkable side-launching facility, the largest in the world, capable of moving ships up to 11,000 tons in weight from their building sites and launching them sideways into the Yangtze River.
We also toured the two Finnlines ships which are being built there. A series of six ships have been ordered, two are delivered, two more will be delivered in the next few months and the remaining two in 2012. We returned to the office soaked to the skin and very uncomfortable. We were then taken back to the hotel for a shower and change before going to dinner with the yard management.
We were taken to a huge restaurant which had a large amount of private room around its perimeter. As usual we sat around a large round table with a huge 'lazy susan' in the middle and dishes were brought out in a continual stream for a couple of hours and the table revolved around giving one the chance to sample all of them. Having been warned about the devastatingly strong 'white wine' which is served, I pleaded 'medication' so that I could not drink alcohol and avoided the large amounts which were offered. I understand that the 'white wine' made from rice is between 60% and 70% proof alcohol and the stuff has awful effects, sometimes lasting for days!!! We had an enjoyable and delicious meal and retired back to the hotel for a nightcap and review of the day.

Tuesday 5th July 2011

After breakfast at the hotel in Zhoushan, we were picked up for the drive to the yard. It was again hot and humid. We had been joined by Markku a tall bearded Finn who was representing DeltaMarin a ship design company. We spent the morning meeting with the yard and going through the points raised by them on the outline specification. The meeting was friendly and constructive but did not give us very much confidence that the yard had really studied the design very much before quoting. This makes us uncomfortable that the price will stick when they really realize what they are building.

Our meeting finished at about 11 a.m. and we said our goodbyes and without lunch boarded our small minibus for the 4 or 5 hour journey back to Shanghai. The motorway was almost empty of traffic and was in great shape. We passed over many bridges some of which were very picturesque architecturally. We also traversed what is claimed to be the longest bridge/viaduct in the world. After about three hours we stopped at a roadside service area for a snack. This area was similar to many in the world and did not offer too much of a tempting nature. As the heat was oppressive we were happy to get back in the van and continue on our journey. We arrived on the outskirts of Shanghai after about four hours of driving but them things started to go less well. Firstly, we hit the roads just when the traffic was at its height and the driver, unfamiliar with the city lost his way and ended up on the wrong side of the river. Our Finnish friend decided to bail out at a suitable interval and make his own way home. Eventually the driver oriented himself, took the tunnel under the river and got us home.

When checked in we repaired to the 21^st floor bar where we reviewed the day and went our various ways for dinner.

I went to type up the notes for the days meetings, failed to save them and wasted a good hour and a half's work!!! Some bad language and to bed.

Monday July 4th 2011

Monday 4^th July 2011
Up very early, packed two bags and checked out of the hotel, leaving the bigger bag behind with the concierge. I met up with the guys, Jon, from Fearnleys, Giancarlo and Paolo from Grimaldi and Henrik at 6 a.m. Two cars were arranged to take us to the airport and we sped there in short order. Checked in for the flight to Zhoushan to visit the Yangfan shipyard. Strangely, they asked for my old passport again. I guess they have it in their 'system' from the time I applied for the tourist visa in 2002. Anyway, after a shrug, he checked me in.
The flight was in a smallish commuter jet and was not full. It only took about 35 minutes. This resulted in our arriving in Zhoushan early and pre-empting the yards pick-up arrangements. We waited for about 20 minutes and in the early morning the oppressive heat had not yet begun so it was quite pleasant standing outside. Soon the small bus came and took us to the hotel. The roads on the 20 minute journey are lined with construction at almost every turn. Many of the new buildings are of interesting design architecturally. The impression is just one of inexorable expansion.
We checked in to the Zhoushan Sheraton, a huge and impressive edifice with jungle gardens and an enormous outdoor pool. After a quick breakfast in the hotel, we took off in the yard's bus for the yard's offices at their 'downtown yard. This is the smaller of their yards in this area. We were given a presentation of the company and Giancarlo gave one of the Grimaldi Group in return. The meeting was attended by Mr. Li the company's Chairman.
We then had a short and simple lunch in the 'canteen' and afterwards toured the smaller of the two yards adjacent to the office.
By then the heat had started to show itself and shirts were starting to stick to skin!! This yard built smaller ships and would not e big enough to handle the G-4's but it did give us a chance to see the work of the yard at first hand. In some of the built blocks of the bulk carriers they were building there evidence showed of the poor welding standards with a good seam being followed by 'stuttering'.
After a relatively sort tour of this yard we set off in a small launch to the 'North East Shipyard which is located on an island in the bay in the mouth of the Yangtze River. This yard is on a completely different scale and was commenced in 2006, meaning virgin ground was broken in that year. One can only stand in amazement at how quickly the yard has grown and how many ship shave been built and delivered in that short time. The most impressive sight on approaching the yard is the 880 meter long 'shed' where steel comes in at one end and blocks are constructed in a long cutting, welding, grinding and assembling process. The noise is very loud and the sir none too clean but few of the workers were wearing anything but hard hats, not masks or goggles or ear protection. It was notable that there were many women working alongside the men in, what appeared to be equal capacity, welding and grinding as well as more menial tasks such as cleaning up.
The workers about 6,000 in all are housed in 'company accommodation' in blocks of apartments adjacent to the yard.
Under construction, either floating or in the dry-dock or on the slipway, (there is one of each), were bulk carriers, car carriers and product tankers. As we took our tour, the heat became intense and we were all, including our hosts, getting soaked in sweat. After walking all the way through the nearly kilometer long shed, we went to the paint and blasting shops which were, curiously, enveloped in nearly complete darkness making working conditions difficult to say the least. We also saw the engine storage area where engines, imported from Hyundai, Korea are stored in dehumidified conditions prior to installation into the vessels. Finally after a visit to the piping and component store (all piping is fabricated by a subsidiary in the 'town yard'), we went to an office in the workers' apartment building block to review what we had seen. Main comments from the ACL/Grimaldi side were about quality which, even on the fairly quick and superficial tour we undertook appeared to be issues. Questions about the quality control procedures and staffing were met with answers which were not entirely convincing.
We were then taken back to the small ferry which had brought us here and on to the mainland to pick up our bags from the office and then to the hotel for a welcome shower and a beer. We were picked up at 6 p.m. and taken to the best fish restaurant in Zhoushan, (which is the largest fishing port on the coast with a huge fleet of ships). There, as guests of the Chairman, Mr. Li, we enjoyed a wonderful meal of fresh fish with some delicacies which some of us had not seen before such as jelly fish and species of fish native to the region. During dinner we were asked for our impressions of the yard and expressed our reservations regarding the quality and also the need for a stronger design organization backed up by European expertise in order to be able to confidently build a complex vessel envisaged by ACL.
After a pleasant meal we said our 'Goodnights' returned to the hotel and a short nightcap and then to bed.



 

Sunday 3rd July 2011

After breakfast in the special lounge on 21st floor, we set off to explore Shanghai. The hotel concierge recommended a route and we left the hotel in oppressive and increasing heat. We walked the short distance along the river to the ferry landing and paid RMB 2 each to cross over to the west side of the river. From here we walked along the Bund or promenade taking in the sights. I was accosted several times to have my photo taken with Chinese tourists!! I suppose I will end up in some peoples' albums who will wonder who the hell I am.

After a stroll for about half an hour we struck inland through a park, a shopping street and a small shopping mall. Henrik tried to buy a camera. The young lady started off at RMB 1,800 and was soon down to 1,200 and 'name your price'. One is never sure exactly what a Sony camera is in China so we moved on with no sale. The heat became very difficult and we were bot getting drenched in sweat so we decided to take a cab to the French Quarter. There we found a nice restaurant, which was air-conditioned and had brunch and dallied a while whilst our body temperatures reached somewhere neat normal.

We decide on leaving that the temperature was doing little but getgting worse so we decided to repair back to the hotel for a swim or a nap. When we got there. we met Giancarlo and Paolo and talked for a while over tea in the Horizon Lounge on 21st Floor. We were awaiting the arrival of Jon from Fearnleys who was flying in from Oslo. When he arrived we discussed strategy for the coming week for a while and then had dinner at the buffet on the 2nd floor which was, as last night an excellent mix of sushi, sashimi, Chinese, Indonesian and other dishes. Our discussions continued regarding the objectives and tactics to be employed  during the week and Jon's expert knowledge and experience of Chinese yards was extremely valuable in putting things into perspective.

Henrik and I made a quick run to the mall across the street from the hotel to buy a small suitcase for him to travel with during the week. The first Mall was full of designer stores, Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, Tiffanys, Louis Vuitton and the rest. Moving to the next Mall we found lower priced goods and Henrik bought a nice Swiss Army case for a reasonable price, discounted from the labed by 40%!! The job of finding our way back to the hotel was not so easy and it took us some time to navigate the roads and find the hotel again. By the time we got back, we were pretty hot again.

A quick nightcap and we were off to bed as we have to leave at 6 a.m. in the morning to catch our flight to Zhoushan where we will visit YangFan shipyard.

Some photos:

East Shanghai from the Bund

Our hotel from the Bund

The Bund, a broad walkway alongside the Yangtse

One of those strange and wonderful Chinese signs

The entrance to a shopping street

Maglev

As I was marveling at the wonders of the Maglev train whooshing us from Pudong Airport to the city, it reminded me that when I was growing up near Cambridge in England there was a piece of test track not that far away on a flat area known as the Fens. Professor Eric Laithwaite who, though not the inventor of the maglev system, ( the first patent for the system was in the USA), he developed it from its early days by discovering a better way to arrange the magnets to allow both lift and forward motion. The Prof joined a company which sought to exploit this technology as a new 'wonder transportation system' and they worked for a number of years to develop it operating a test rig on this track in this bleak corner of Britain. In the economic strictures of the '70's the whole thing was cancelled although the first public used Maglev train was on a short piece of track at Birmingham Airport in England. From its abortive development the idea went to Germany who did, I think develop it and it was the Germans who built the Shanghai system.

It will be interesting to see if the idea gains ground but the capital costs of the system are very high.

July 2nd 2011 - Shanghai

The flight was on time and relatively uneventful. The distance was 7,775 miles and it took just over 14 hours. Shanghai airport is huge and very modern. Formalities were very quick and efficient and I was through Customs in about 20 minutes from landing. I went straight to the Maglev train which runs between the airport and the city. The train costs 50 RMB and a sleek train was waiting. There was a small shudder as the Maglev system kicked in and the train started moving and accelerated very quickly up to its speed of 300 kilometers per hour. The train is very smooth and quiet and covers the miles to the city in about 6 or 7 minutes. At the terminal, there are taxis waiting and the drive to the hotel was about 20 minutes through and incredible cityscape of high rise buildings. The temperature here is 95 deg F and the air quality poor.

I met up with Henrik, Giancarlo and Paolo from Grimaldi and Michele & Maurizio from RINA and we had a wonderful buffet dinner in the hotel, nightcaps afterwards meant a late bedtime.

Here are some photos

The Maglev Speedometer

The inside of the Maglev train

A remarkable piece of sculpture on the run in to Pudong

The famous Shanghai Tower - from my hotel room

Shanghai skyline, also from the hotel

The adventure starts - July 1st 2011

The flight to Shanghai leaves Newark at 11 a.m. and takes 14+ hours. This is a long time to be sitting in one place but hopefully my fellow passengers will not be too noisy or active. I am not sure if 14 hours is enough time to acquire a working knowledge of Chinese or if I should even try. As I will be faced with a mix of Italian, Scandinavian and Chinese for the next week, maybe one can hope that for my benefit, they all speak English or some understandable version of it.