Hong Kong leverages maritime strengths to bolster global shipping's green shift
香港发挥海事优势推动全球航运绿色转型
HONG KONG, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- Global shipping leaders are in Hong Kong this week to deliver a clear message: dialogue is the only way through the industry's triple crises -- fragmented decarbonization regulations, geopolitical disruptions and a seafarer shortage.
香港，11月19日（新华社）——全球航运界领导人本周在香港传达了一个明确的信号：对话是解决该行业三重危机的唯一途径——脱碳法规支离破碎、地缘政治混乱和海员短缺。
The two-day World Maritime Merchants Forum 2025, which closed on Tuesday, positions Hong Kong as an anchor of stability for the global shipping industry. Tasked with leveraging its links to the Chinese mainland and the world, the city is driving the sector's green transition.
为期两天的2025年世界海事商人论坛于周二闭幕，将香港定位为全球航运业的稳定之锚。该市的任务是利用其与中国大陆和世界的联系，正在推动该行业的绿色转型。
Hong Kong's credentials are impressive. For the sixth consecutive year, it has been ranked fourth globally in the International Shipping Center Development Index. Home to over 1,200 port and maritime-related enterprises, the city specializes in ship management, finance, insurance, and law.
香港的资历令人印象深刻。连续第六年在国际航运中心发展指数中位列全球第四。该市拥有1200多家港口和海事相关企业，专门从事船舶管理、金融、保险和法律。
"Hong Kong shipowners control nearly 10 percent of the global merchant fleet by deadweight tonnage. Four of the world's top 10 ship management companies are headquartered here, overseeing thousands of vessels worldwide," said Angad Banga, chief operating officer of the Caravel Group and chairman of the Hong Kong Shipowners Association. "These are not just statistics -- they represent confidence in Hong Kong's delivery capabilities."
Caravel集团首席运营官兼香港船东协会主席Angad Banga表示：“按载重吨计算，香港船东控制着全球近10%的商船队。全球十大船舶管理公司中有四家总部设在这里，监管着全球数千艘船舶。”“这些不仅仅是统计数据，它们代表了对香港交付能力的信心。”
Shekkappan Kannan, regional service business manager of Alfa Laval (China) Ltd., views Hong Kong as an ideal destination for investment, technology, talent and legal services. He believes Hong Kong serves as a "facilitator" and "gateway" connecting the Chinese mainland to global markets.
阿法拉伐（中国）有限公司区域服务业务经理Shekkappan Kannan认为香港是投资、技术、人才和法律服务发展的天堂。他认为，香港是中国内地与全球市场进行合作发展的“促进力量”和“窗口”。
As Martin Kroeger, CEO of the German Shipowners' Association, put it: the Chinese mainland will soon become a top producer of alternative fuels, and Hong Kong's financial strength can underpin this capacity transformation. This creates a "mainland production plus Hong Kong finance" model unmatched by any other hub.
正如德国船东协会首席执行官Martin Kroeger所言：中国大陆将很快成为替代燃料的顶级生产国，香港的财政实力可以支撑这一产能转型。这创造了任何其他枢纽都无法比拟的“内地生产加香港金融”模式。
Hong Kong's practicalism also makes it a bridge for rulemaking. "When crafting commercial rules, Hong Kong balances stakeholder interests, endowing it with a natural advantage to become a coordinator of maritime rules," noted Rolf Thore Roppestad, CEO of Gard AS. This proves invaluable amid global regulatory fragmentation.
香港的实用主义也使其成为规则制定的桥梁。Gard AS首席执行官Rolf Thore Roppestad表示：“在制定商业规则时，香港平衡了利益相关者的利益，使其具有成为海事规则协调者的天然优势。”事实证明，在全球监管分散的情况下，这是非常宝贵的。
Hong Kong is walking the talk. It will soon launch methanol bunkering and is planning green shipping corridors.
香港说到做到。它将很快推出甲醇加注，并正在规划绿色航运走廊。
"We have a clear roadmap, even if the International Maritime Organization (IMO)'s framework lags," said Mable Chan, secretary for Transport and Logistics of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government. She was referring to the city's Action Plan on Green Maritime Fuel Bunkering, which aligns with the 2050 net-zero goal of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
香港特别行政区政府运输及物流局局长陈美宝表示：“即使国际海事组织（IMO）的框架滞后，我们也有一个清晰的路线图。”她指的是该市的绿色海上燃油加注行动计划，该计划符合国际海事组织(IMO)2050年净零排放目标。
Laws have been updated to permit liquefied natural gas and methanol bunkering. The Green Incentive Scheme has been rolled out to reward Hong Kong-registered ships that achieve high ratings under the IMO's international decarbonization standards. Meanwhile, the HKSAR government is allocating land for fuel storage facilities and offering tax breaks for new energy trade.
法律已更新，允许液化天然气和甲醇加注。我们推出绿色奖励计划，奖励在国际海事组织国际脱碳标准下获得高评级的香港注册船舶。与此同时，香港特区政府正在为燃料储存设施分配土地，并为新能源贸易提供税收减免。
"The core is government-industry collaboration: listen first, then support," explains Edward Liu, the principal representative of the International Chamber of Shipping (China) Liaison Office.
“核心是政府与企业的合作：先倾听，后支持，”国际航运公会（中国）联络处首席代表Edward Liu解释道。
"Hong Kong's busy, well-connected hub is turning potential into momentum," says Giles Lane, a director of Clarksons.
克拉克森董事贾尔斯·莱恩(Giles Lane)表示：“香港繁忙、四通八达的枢纽正在将潜力转化为动力。”
Wei Muheng of ZhenDui Industry Artificial Intelligence Co. Ltd (ZDIAI) hails the city as the "key green shipping financier and technology tester" for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
真堆工业人工智能有限公司（ZDIAI）的魏慕恒称赞这座城市是粤港澳大湾区“主要的绿色航运金融家和技术测试者”。
Shipping's global nature demands cross-border cooperation, and Hong Kong is forging crucial connections. Mable Chan believed that the city could partner with Shenzhen's Yantian Port to leverage their comparative strengths. Kroeger advocates a "production-financing-application" chain linking Hong Kong's capital to Chinese mainland fuel plants. Kannan urges the city to "take the lead in regulation and mediation to help turn global consensus into action.
航运业的全球性要求跨境合作，而香港正在建立重要的联系。陈茂波认为，这座城市可以与深圳盐田港合作，发挥他们的相对优势。Kroeger主张建立一个“生产-融资-应用”的链条，将香港的资本与中国大陆的燃料厂联系起来。坎南敦促该市“在监管和调解方面发挥带头作用，帮助将全球共识转化为行动。
As emission rules and carbon taxes diverge across regions, which is weighing on the global decarbonization process, "dialogue and trust are what resolve disputes," said Vinod Kumar Sehgal, CEO and managing director of SeaQuest Shipmanagement. He expects the city to play a bigger role in the global shipping industry's green transition.
SeaQuest Shipmanagement首席执行官兼董事总经理Vinod Kumar Sehgal表示，由于不同地区的排放规则和碳税存在差异，这给全球脱碳进程带来了压力，“对话和信任是解决争端的方法”。他预计这座城市将在全球航运业的绿色转型中发挥更大的作用。
