China access. Global maritime reach.

CSAL organises delegation programmes, events, and commercial introductions for senior maritime executives. The focus is China: the market, the counterparties, and the commercial networks that matter. Our membership spans Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and across Asia.

Upcoming Programmes Get in touch

Three ways to work with us.

CSAL connects the international maritime community with Chinese counterparties through delegation programmes, events, and direct commercial introductions.

Our network grew out of London's Overseas Chinese maritime community and together expanded globally. Members and participants come from all sectors of the maritime ecosystem: chartering, shipowning, financing, shipbuilding, law, insurance, shipbroking and more. The common thread is all those who wish to have direct access to Chinese maritime networks.

800+
Direct contacts across our collective network with decision-making power in the maritime industry
20+
High-level events and programmes organised since founding in 2017
2017
Founded as a Baltic Exchange society. Registered as a not-for-profit in the UK in 2021.

Delegation programmes

Closed, curated programmes of five days in one city. Eight to ten delegates, assembled for commercial relevance to each other. Pre-arranged meetings, structured site access, no panels. Designed to turn introductions into working relationships.

Events and seminars

Roundtables, receptions, and seminar sessions during major shipping weeks. Bringing Chinese and international maritime professionals together for substantive exchange on commercial and industry questions.

Commercial introductions

For those who need access to specific counterparties: buyers, partners, operators, or service providers. CSAL makes direct introductions within its network, drawing on relationships built across Chinese shipowners, international maritime services firms, and emerging market connections.

Upcoming Programmes

Delegations across international markets: UK, China and the Growth markets.

Expressions of interest are open now. There is no payment at this stage.

Shanghai

Shanghai Maritime Dialogue

18–22 October 2026

For the first time, Pudong Shipping Week and the North Bund Forum run concurrently — the highest concentration of senior Chinese maritime decision-makers in one city at one time. CSAL is running a delegation around it.

A curated mix of private meetings, structured site visits, and closed sessions for a small group of senior international maritime executives. CSAL is a named partner of UK Day on 21 October, the highlight event of Pudong International Shipping Week. Spaces limited.

  • Chinese fleet capital and ordering strategy
  • Shipyard access and technical capability
  • Fuel transition in practice
Programme details ↗
Saudi Arabia

Saudi Maritime Dialogue

2027 — dates under review

Both the Red Sea corridor and the Strait of Hormuz are under active pressure. Together they carry the dominant share of global energy transit. The commercial consequences — war risk pricing, charterparty force majeure, rerouting economics, and the long-term question of infrastructure investment — are live across the entire region.

CSAL has developed a programme around these questions, built around on-the-ground access to Saudi port infrastructure and Chinese BRI investment in the region. The programme is currently paused. We are monitoring the situation and will confirm dates and venue when conditions allow.

  • Regional energy corridor risk and legal exposure
  • Saudi maritime infrastructure access
  • Fuel transition in practice

Programme development ongoing. Write to [email protected] to register interest.

Past programmes and events.

December 2025

Shanghai Maritime Dialogue

CSAL's first international delegation: five days in Shanghai built around Pudong Shipping Week and the North Bund Forum. A closed group of senior executives — shipowners, lawyers, brokers, financiers — with Chinese hosts and pre-arranged access. Included a roundtable on global shipping outlook, risk management, and green development at Jinmao Tower on 2 December.

View event page ↗
December 2024

Risk, Innovation, Infrastructure and Sustainability

Seminar and networking event during Pudong Shipping Week 2024, bringing together industry leaders to discuss decarbonisation, risk management, and innovation in shipping.

View event page ↗
April 2023

Shipping Overview Webinar

A dialogue exploring changing global economic conditions and their impact on the shipping industry. Shifting trade patterns and macro uncertainty were creating conditions presenting both challenges and opportunities. A panel of experts shared their analysis on navigating the market.

View event page ↗
The people behind CSAL

Executive Committee

Zhang Yun

Zhang Yun

Chairman

Managing Director of EGPN Bulk Carrier Ltd, a UK and Hong Kong-based Chinese shipowner.

Wei Hu

Wei Hu

Director

Director of Sinotrans UK. Over 30 years in shipping, including dry bulk chartering at Sinochart.

Eli Tchou

Eli Tchou

Director

Formerly at the Baltic Exchange and TradeWinds. Leads programme development and communications.

Board Members & Advisors

Nick Woo

Nick Woo

Board Member

Partner, Birketts' Shipping and International Trade Team. Accredited CEDR mediator and arbitrator.

Lianghui Xia

Lianghui Xia

Board Member

20 years in commercial shipping, across shipowners and shipbroking firms in Oslo, Copenhagen, and London.

Henry Guo

Henry Guo

Board Member

Former Head of Chartering and Raw Materials at ArcelorMittal Shipping, London.

Founded in London. Connected across markets.

CSAL grew out of a 2016 town hall meeting of British and Overseas Chinese shipping professionals. Over 50 people attended. The conversation identified a structural gap: the UK and Chinese maritime communities were operating in the same markets, moving the same cargo, but rarely finding themselves in the same room for substantive commercial exchange.

The association's inaugural event was held at the Baltic Exchange in 2017. Speakers included Simon Young, then Head of COSCO UK, and maritime economist Martin Stopford. CSAL has been a Baltic Exchange society since its founding.

CSAL registered as a not-for-profit entity in the UK in 2021. The executive committee is made of our three directors and a number of board members and advisors. Altogether, they represent the sectors in shipping across: chartering, shipowning, shipbroking, insurance, legal, logistics, marketing and more.

Previous event sponsors have included COSCO UK, the Baltic Exchange, UK P&I Club, Clarksons, EGPN Bulk, Pudong Shipping, Freight Investor Services, and Profision Capital Management. CSAL accepts sponsorship on a per-programme basis.
Contact

Get in touch

For programme enquiries, sponsorship discussions, commercial introduction requests, or to understand more about how the format works, write to us.