Mr. Zhao Yan, President of China Classification Society (CCS), recently led a delegation to Copenhagen for high-level talks with Mr. Brian Adrian Wessel, Director General of the Danish Maritime Authority (DMA), and his delegation. Mr. Yang Junping, Commercial Counselor at the Chinese Embassy in Denmark, and Secretary Mr. Zhao Xiaoliang attended the talks.

Source: CCS

Key Topics and Exchanges 

During the meeting, both sides briefed each other on their respective operational activities and progress on key initiatives. They held in-depth discussions on a range of forward-looking topics, including the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Net-Zero Framework, green fuels and related certification, Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS), maritime artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, and port state control inspections.

Both sides agreed that the green transition of shipping and the deployment of new technologies require a balanced approach that takes into account multiple factors — development goals, technical feasibility, operational safety, and coordination with global maritime regulations.

On green fuels, discussions focused on fuel life-cycle assessment systems, sustainability criteria, the calculation of default emission factors, and third-party certification standards. In the field of autonomous shipping, the two sides shared updates on pilot projects in China and Denmark and exchanged views on equipment and machinery reliability, human-machine collaboration among crew, validation of AI-driven decision-making, cross-border remote operation, and cybersecurity protection.

Source: CCS

Continued Cooperation and Participants 

Mr. Brian Adrian Wessel highly commended the long-standing cooperation between the two sides in ship inspection, maritime technology seminars, and collaboration among recognized organizations. Both sides expressed their commitment to continuing to monitor key IMO issues, maintain regular communication, and steadily expand the scope of cooperation — deepening practical exchanges in areas such as experience from autonomous vessel projects, safety verification of maritime artificial intelligence, and port state control inspections.

The meeting was also attended by Mr. Martin John, Director of Ship Survey and Certification at the DMA; Senior Advisors Ms. Mette Festersen and Mr. Niels Skriver Nielsen; Mr. Hong Bo, General Manager of CCS International Classification Service Development Department; Mr. Yue Mengqiang, Deputy General Manager of CCS Dalian Branch; Ms. Sun Qun, Deputy Director of CCS Shanghai Rules & Research Institute; Mr. Li Shuxian, Marketing Manager of CCS Hamburg Branch; and Mr. Yu Hui, Manager of CCS Copenhagen Office.