The Greece-based Phoenix Register of Shipping (PHRS) recently obtained the business license for its branch in the Qingdao Area of China (Shandong) Pilot Free Trade Zone (Qingdao FTZ). The presence of PHRS, which rank among the global top ten classification societies in terms of gross tonnage, has altered the fact that no important classification society bases itself in Qingdao, a major coastal Chinese city, thereby injecting powerful impetus into Qingdao’s cause of building an international shipping center.

Founded in 2000, PHRS is a professional ship inspection and certification body with international prestige, which specializes in the provision of comprehensive services such as ship classification, certification and verification. To date, it has classified nearly 1,000 vessels, with a gross capacity of about 13 million tons. As a result of its recognition of rapid progress that China’s shipowners and ship repairing and building sector have scored as well as sound shipping services in the Qingdao FTZ, PHRS has opted to make its first presence in Asia in the Qingdao FTZ.

It is reported that the Qingdao branch of PHRS plans to extend its reach to Qingdao’s surrounding areas to seek business operations across China. Damoberus Giannis, co-founder of PHRS, noted that it was a wise decision to locate our Asian headquarters in Qingdao.  (Wang Kai)