Shenzhen Port Group and Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore have signed a strategic cooperation agreement to deepen collaboration on green shipping corridors and related maritime decarbonization projects.

The agreement was signed in Shenzhen on June 29. Senior executives from both sides attended the ceremony, including Hu Zhaoyang, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of Shenzhen Port Group; Shen Huaxin, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and President of Shenzhen Port Group; Peng Hongbo, Member of the Party Committee and Vice President of Shenzhen Port Group; Alex Gregg-Smith, President of Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore; Dr. Jeffrey Guo, Senior Vice President of BV Marine & Offshore Asia Pacific; and Maciej Lepicki, Vice President of BV Marine & Offshore Greater China.

Under the agreement, the two parties will combine Shenzhen Port Group’s port resources, industrial scenarios and green development ambitions with Bureau Veritas’ technical expertise in classification, certification, testing, inspection and maritime regulatory support.

The cooperation will focus on the development of green shipping corridors and related businesses. Both sides aim to promote green shipping demonstration projects and develop outcomes that can be replicated and scaled across the wider maritime sector.

Bureau Veritas is expected to provide technical support to Shenzhen Port Group and relevant industry participants as the maritime sector faces increasingly complex decarbonization requirements. This includes support on regulatory interpretation, technical standards, certification pathways and practical implementation of emerging international rules.

BV’s global service network covers more than 140 countries. The classification society is also a founding member of the International Association of Classification Societies. According to Shenzhen Port Group, BV currently classes more than 12,500 vessels, covering major vessel types, and operates more than 180 survey stations, six marine operation centers and 19 plan approval centers worldwide.

The cooperation comes as ports, shipowners, fuel suppliers and classification societies are accelerating efforts to build low-carbon maritime trade routes. Green shipping corridors are increasingly seen as a practical platform for linking zero- and low-carbon fuels, port infrastructure, bunkering capabilities, vessel technology and certification systems.

Alex Gregg-Smith said the global decarbonization of shipping requires coordinated action across the full maritime value chain. He noted that Shenzhen Port Group, as a world-class port group, has strengths that complement BV’s capabilities in technical services and standard development. He added that the partnership could help align domestic and international standards and support viable pathways for low-carbon maritime trade.

Hu Zhaoyang said BV has accumulated extensive solutions and practical experience in supporting shipping decarbonization. He said the agreement matches Shenzhen Port Group’s green development strategy and will allow both sides to further expand cooperation across relevant fields. He also said the partnership would combine Shenzhen Port Group’s diversified industrial application scenarios with BV’s technical certification capabilities.

For Shenzhen, the agreement adds another building block to its ambition to strengthen its role as a green maritime hub. For BV, the partnership deepens its involvement in China’s green shipping corridor development and supports the wider transition of the maritime industry toward lower-carbon operations.

Representatives from BV’s relevant departments, Shenzhen Port Group’s departments, Huazhou Ocean and the group’s energy development company also attended the signing ceremony.