Youthful voyage, not wasting time
——Speech at the Opening Ceremony of 2024 Undergraduate Students
Guo Jinkui, a 1991 alumnus majoring in Marine Engineering Management at the school and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Seacon Shipping Group Holdings Limited
September 9, 2024
Respected Secretary Song Baoru, Principal of Chubeiping, Respected Teachers, and Dear Youngsters:
Hello everyone!
I am honored to be invited to attend today's opening ceremony. As an alumni representative, I feel both honored and fearful to speak. I was admitted to the predecessor of Shanghai Maritime University in 1991, Shanghai Maritime University, majoring in Marine Engineering Management. 33 years ago today, under the age of 18, I carried a simple small bundle and walked out of a small county town in Shandong for the first time. I took a hard seat green car for more than 20 hours, just like you all here, with enthusiasm and longing, and arrived in this bustling metropolis. Shanghai has become my second hometown; Shanghai Maritime University is the place where my dream sets sail. Here, I have experienced countless firsts in my life, such as learning swimming for the first time, entering the library for the first time, and interning on a ship for the first time. For us who have never been exposed to the sea and shipping, the school has opened a new world door for us.
In 1995, after graduating from school, I was assigned to work in the storage and transportation department of Shandong Foreign Trade Corporation (now known as Haifeng International). First, I spent three years as a crew member on a ship. Later, when the company needed me, I was transferred to work on land and went through multiple departmental positions such as the mechanical department, shipping department, commerce department, and shipping department. I was fortunate enough to become the youngest department manager in the company at that time. In 2003, I left Haifeng and embarked on the path of entrepreneurship with a few friends. In 2012, the current Seacon Shipping Group was established through integration. In 2023, after 11 years of development, the company was listed on the Hong Kong Main Board, becoming the "first Hong Kong ship management stock".
Nowadays, Seacon Shipping has become the largest third-party ship management company in China and the ninth largest in the world. This is the first time that a Chinese ship management company has entered the list of the top ten ship management companies in the world, creating history. I am also lucky to be nominated by the China Shipping 100 People Organizing Committee for 8 consecutive years as one of the "100 Chinese people most concerned by the shipping industry". The development of the company has been recognized and supported by governments and institutions at all levels. Just last month, Mr. Liang Zhenying, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, visited the company for inspection and research, which greatly encouraged us. The achievement of these results cannot be separated from the cultivation of my alma mater, and also benefited from the opportunities brought by the rapid development of China's shipping industry. I feel deeply fortunate to be able to board this giant ship of the times.
In this new era full of opportunities and challenges, as the new generation of students at Shanghai Maritime University, you have more advantages in terms of timing, location, and people.
In this era of unprecedented changes, China has become the world's largest shipowner and shipbuilding country, and building a strong shipping nation has become an important national strategy. Concepts such as intelligent shipping and green shipping have injected new vitality into the shipping industry. As the future of China's shipping industry, you happen to be in a prosperous era, and this is the time of day.
Shanghai Maritime University is located in the most developed Yangtze River Delta region of China's economy. Shanghai is an international shipping and financial center, and the school is located in the Lingang New Area, which is being developed into a globally influential hub for marine technology innovation. Soil cultivates talents, and in this hot land, one can feel the pulse of the times and the direction of shipping, which is unique and advantageous. This is the geographical advantage.
Shanghai Maritime University, as one of the highest institutions of higher maritime education in China, has inherited the spirit of the Wusong Merchant Shipping and the new generation of Chinese shipping forces is rising here. Here, you will learn, exchange and grow together with outstanding classmates and knowledgeable teachers. In addition, Shanghai Maritime University has a very strong alumni resource, and 200000 alumni will always be your strong backing no matter when and where. Growing together is about being harmonious.
Cherish opportunities, seize advantages, and you will surely ride the waves and set sail in your future studies and work, creating your own brilliance.
