Danish-South Korean Co-operation Strengthened

 

The Danish-South Korean Green Growth Alliance met for roundtable talks yesterday. The Minister for Business and Growth's meeting with the South Korean Minister of Oceans and Fisheries is important for further developing the close co-operation.

The Green Growth Alliance held its fifth meeting yesterday. This time it had the form of roundtable talks with a maritime focus at the premises of the Danish Maritime Authority. South Korea is the third-largest export market for Denmark in Asia and an important market for Danish shipping.

South Korea is also of major importance to Danish suppliers of marine equipment, several of which have their production, service centres or sales offices in South Korea. The Growth Alliance was launched in 2011 as a cooperation between Denmark and South Korea. The main purpose of the alliance is to pave the way for increased Danish exports of energy and environmental technology to South Korea. The agreement commits the countries to having annual meetings with ministerial participation.

Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Ki-June Yoo took part in the roundtable meeting as a representative of the Korean government, accompanied by a trade delegation with representatives from the Korean shipowners' association, the Korean classification society as well as, inter alia, the Korea Maritime Institute. On the part of Denmark, Minister for Business and Growth Troels Lund Poulsen, Director General of the Danish Maritime Authority Andreas Nordseth, the Danish Ambassador to South Korea Thomas Lehmann, representatives from the Ministry of Energy, Supply and Climate, the Danish Shipowners' Association, Danish Maritime, State of Green as well as representatives from Danish maritime companies participated.

Focus on green maritime technology and green energy at sea
The theme of this year's Green Growth Alliance meeting was regulation as a driver of green maritime technology and the potentials of generating green energy at sea, for example wave energy. These years, the maritime industry is faced by a green conversion with stricter requirements for ships' environmental and climate properties, including reductions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulphur emissions, requirements for energy efficiency, ballast water management and safe ship recycling.