On November 22, the 2022 North Bund International Shipping Forum opened at the North Bund. At the opening ceremony of the forum, more than 10 achievements in the field of shipping made by Shanghai since the first forum were announced. Among them, three items were related to Hongkou District: the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) announcing that it would soon settle down at the North Bund, the site of Shanghai Crew Assessment Demonstration Center settled down in Hongkou, and the design scheme of the North Bund Navigation Park released. In the process of accelerating the building of high-end shipping service function core bearing area, these have become the shining reports handed over by Hongkou District.
Founded in London, England, in 1921, the ICS has developed into the largest and most influential non-governmental shipping organization in the world, and is the main representative of the chamber of commerce for ship owners and ship operators. The members of ICS come from the shipowners' associations in different countries and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China. At present, there are 40 full members, accounting for more than 80% of the global commercial fleet. The settlement of the ICS Shanghai Representative Office will further enhance the high-end shipping service function of the North Bund, help the construction of the Shanghai International Shipping Center, and enhance the international voice of China's shipping industry.
As an important project for the Ministry of Transport and the Shanghai Municipal Government to jointly promote the construction of the Shanghai International Shipping Center, the Shanghai Crew Assessment Demonstration Center Project, after being located in Hongkou, will build a crew evaluation system with complete functions and advanced performance, become a professional platform for international crew training, improve crew professional quality, serve the maritime "Belt and Road", and create a brand of maritime education.
The settlement of the two functional institutions indicates that Hongkou has entered the fast lane in accelerating the development of high-end shipping services. In accordance with the overall requirements of the CPC District Committee for "image building in three years, function building in five years, and basic completion in ten years", the North Bund International Shipping Forum is taken as an important breakthrough point to focus on high-end, strengthen functions, and improve energy levels, so as to promote the high concentration, efficient allocation, and high-speed value-added of global high-end shipping elements at the North Bund.
The North Bund is flourishing because of the port. In the historical process of the opening and development of Shanghai's shipping industry, it has always played the role of a pioneer and a navigator. From opening eyes to view the world to the world reception hall, the North Bund stands at the forefront of the times, witnessing historical changes. A century later, the North Bund has ushered in new development opportunities, and is striving to build itself into a new benchmark for urban development in the new era, an important carrier of core functions, and a new development concept practice area, attracting the attention of the world.
In recent years, with the implementation of a new round of planning for the North Bund, Hongkou firmly grasps the goal and connotation of a new benchmark for urban development in a new era and accelerates the gathering of high-end shipping service elements at the North Bund. At present, Hongkou has gathered more than 4,000 shipping enterprises, which is the region with the highest concentration of shipping service enterprises in China. Twelve of the world's top 50 liner companies have set up headquarters in Hongkou. At the same time, there are 40 shipping functional institutions, including the China Shipowners Association, the China Port Association, the China Shipowners Mutual Insurance Association, the China Ship Oil Pollution Claims Center and other "Chinese prefix" associations. The Xinhua Baltic Sea International Shipping Center Development Index was released at the North Bund for nine consecutive years. The North Bund has become the region with the most concentrated shipping service enterprises, the most obvious shipping headquarters, the most complete shipping elements, and the most complete shipping industry chain in China’s Mainland.
It is worth mentioning that in recent years, Hongkou has also continued to improve the quality and function of the public space along the Huangpu River and Suzhou Creek, comprehensively renovated the riverside function and spatial layout of the North Bund, promoted connectivity and improved, and further restored the river to the people. At the opening ceremony of the forum, the announcement of the design scheme of North Bund Navigation Park undoubtedly became the focus of attention. According to the plan, North Bund Navigation Park will be located in the public green space of the core area of the North Bund, next to the World Reception Hall and across the river from Lujiazui, Pudong. Through the dynamic device "Dream Boat", which symbolizes the origin of the ocean shipping, the pavement of the “Millennium Voyage Chronicle”, which represents the progress of world navigation history and the Chinese navigation history, and the "Exploration Journey", which represents the interactive experience of young people in the navigation area, the story clues of the navigation cultural park are formed, and the spiritual home of navigation practitioners is built.
The completed Navigation Theme Park integrates cultural display, cultural experience and leisure activities, enabling citizens and tourists to feel the charm of the shipping culture and the marine culture while sightseeing and resting on the world class waterfront and shoreline of the North Bund, fully embodying Shanghai's urban character of embracing hundreds of rivers from the sea.
Those who are near are happy, while those who are far away are coming. In the future, the North Bund will continue to deepen the development of shipping service industry, attract shipping enterprises and functional institutions with international influence to settle down by improving the shipping influence and competitiveness of the North Bund, and build an industrial highland of shipping service at the North Bund.