The company received an International Manning License, adding crewing to its portfolio
A new manning agency is established in China – under V.Group that manages over 100 vessels globally. Its license was awarded by China’s Maritime Safety Administration (MSA), a government agency which administers all matters related to maritime and shipping safety.
Enhanced position as a seafarer supplier
The license will allow V.Group to provide trained Chinese seafarers for its globally-managed vessels. The company was awarded the Qualification Certificate for Seafarer Recruitment and Placement Service by the Head of MSA, Lin Lihua last December. Bjoern Sprotte, CEO for Ship Management at V.Group said, “China plays a key role in the global maritime industry and we have ambitious growth plans for the region. This license is a major milestone demonstrating our long-term commitment to the republic. It is also a testament of our China team’s strength and professional practices which set a new standard in the industry.
“The license will help us streamline our services, not only enabling us to provide a one-stop offering to our China-based customers, but also attract more Chinese seafarers. Moreover, it supports our wider crewing strategy as we can place Chinese crew onboard our non-China managed vessels, making the country a fully-integrated key crewing centre.”
Benjamin Shen, Managing Director of V.Group China concurred this license will allow the company to focus on expanding its pool of Chinese crew to meet increasing demand. Having a fully-owned manning agency is a significant step forward to secure highly-competent Chinese seafarers. V.Group can now offer customers fully integrated services – employing, training and deploying crew directly from the Shanghai office. The company will be annually audited by the MSA on crew manning operations, recruitment, training, crew certificates, management and office administration. It currently has an international pool of over 44,000 seafarers across the globe.
Crewing Online News Team
Please email us at marketing@marineonline.com to contact the author for this article.