Its Shanghai office was recently issued a license to directly employ and deploy Chinese crew
The UK-based ship manager opened its V-Ships Shanghai office in 2016 with a lavish ceremony attended by by Xu Guo Yi, Director of Ministry of Transport Shanghai and the port management committee office. Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration’s issuance of certificate for seafarer recruitment and placement to V-Ships cemented the latter’s support for China.
Seafarer-centred initiatives
V.Group manages a fleet of 69 vessels, comprising 30 containerships and 39 bulk carriers. To be effective, seafarer welfare is not to be overlooked. The company noted all crew were under severe distress from the crew change crisis due to pandemic-induced border restrictions, and rolled their own vaccination programme. In the middle of this year, V.Group facilitated 13 Indian crew’s inoculation onboard vessel, Cabrera in the United States. That group was the company’s first batch to participate in the vaccine initiative.
Apart from crew’s health, V.Group looked into seafarer recruitment as well. Having established its office in Shanghai, the enterprise is well-positioned to recruit and deploy Chinese seafarers for its local and overseas clients. Quoting Bob Bishop of V.Group in 2016 during the opening, “It is 10 years since we started operations in Shanghai. We were a leader then and we are a leader now, offering management support and solutions, which stretches way beyond simple ship management. We are investing in the future – both in our seafarers as well as our systems. This brings options for change and development to our new venture here in the Shanghai Pudong Free Trade Zone.” This statement was seconded by Alex Bilokon, former Managing Director of V.Ships Shanghai. He added: “This marks the next step in V.Group expanding in China and we appreciate the local and central government support.”
Having obtained the privilege to directly recruit and deploy Chinese seafarers for ships after obtaining the qualification certificate for seafarer recruitment and placement service, V.Group has cemented its support for the republic with Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration’s endorsement.
Providing another employment avenue for crew, Wu Su, Head of V.Group (Shanghai) remarked, “The company will provide integrated service for seafarers and develop a Chinese crew centre for V.Group. The facility will provide high-quality services to ships engaged in international shipping for Chinese and overseas owners, as well as ship management companies.”
Crewing Online News Team
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