The Welsh influence here in Shanghai and China may not be obvious but it's here and it's big. With China well on course to becoming the world's largest ship builder, a Cardiff-based outfit operating out of leafy environs in Hongqiao can step forward and take a well deserved bow.
The small, fiercely proud nation of less than three million is home to the Graig Group and to Captain John A. Coffin, CEO of the group's ever expanding China operations based in Shanghai.
Coffin has been in China for 10 years. "I came here to get four ships built," says Coffin, who spent 30 years at sea, 20 as captain. "I expected to be here for 18 months but the quality was so good we ordered a further 15."
Graig has since had 80 ships built in China with another 60 on the books or being built right now. These are mostly large cargo vessels upwards of 50,000 tons and they sell for scores of millions of dollars.
Graig set up offices in China in 2003 to coincide with the start of their construction of the company's most successful ship yet, the Diamond Bulk Carrier. This double hulled "green" ship co-designed by Graig with Denmark's Carl Bro is proving to be one of the most successful in modern, commercial shipping.
"We were in the right place at the right time with the right product," says Coffin modestly. He himself was very much involved with the design here at the Shanghai office. What greatly shaped the design and the Diamond's subsequent success were the events that took place in 2002 in the Bay of Biscay.
On November 13 the single hulled Bahamian registered "Prestige" oil tanker got into trouble in heavy seas off the Galician coast. One of her 12 tanks was burst and she was leaking oil. With the French, Spanish and Portuguese authorities all refusing the ship permission to take refuge at any of their ports the "Prestige" floundered out over 2,000 meters of water until six days later the hull broke in two and sank off the Spanish port of Vigo. Much of the "Prestige's" 77,000 tons of oil has since leaked out causing the worst environmental disaster in Spanish history.
"The environmental devastation caused is at least on a par, if not worse, than the 'Exxon Valdez.' The amount of oil spilled is more than the Valdez and the toxicity is higher, because of the higher temperatures," said Simon Walmsley, the World Wildlife Fund's senior policy officer for shipping.
"In 2003 the world economy, largely driven by China, started to turn up and this meant that shippers began to buy again," says Coffin. "Due to the 'Prestige' most shippers were only interested in buying double hulled ships and they were looking to China as the place to get these ships built."
With Graig's reputation among ship buyers, the guanxi Coffin had built here and this new generation Diamond class ship Coffin rapidly filled eight top tier Chinese shipyards to capacity. Each of the Diamond 53 ships, 53,000 tons and 200 meters long, sell for around US$35 million. This ship even has low emission engines.
"The difference with this ship is that although it is an expensive ship it is built with the shipper in mind, most shipyards build ships that the yard can make the most profit from," explains Coffin. So busy is Graig now that it has had to expand out and now has ships being built at three yards in Vietnam and one in India.
Coffin went to sea aged 17 setting sail from London's Tilbury docks on a 1928-built ship bound for New Zealand. He didn't return to the UK for seven months. "Back then the life at sea was very pleasant," he says smiling wistfully. Aged 26 Coffin qualified as captain and joined his first ship with Graigs. "I was the youngest guy on the ship and I was captain," he says, and one wonders whether there were any jokes ever made about his name.
Graigs now has 120 employees in China, a broad mixture of nationalities and with many of its project managers local Chinese who have trained with the company.
During the mid 1970s the captain visited Shanghai, he describes it then as "black, definitely not the sort of place you'd revisit." At sea he was attacked by pirates off Indonesia "they came on board with Kalashnikovs and machetes and raided our safe." He also picked up a boat load of Vietnamese refugees. "Nowadays ships are turned round so quickly in port, crew sizes are greatly reduced and to be honest some of the crew's skills are questionable, I wouldn't fancy it."
Coffin's Mandarin is thoroughly respectable having found himself collaborator on a Fudan University book A Crash Course in Practical Chinese.
He travels a lot in China and Asia and he very much enjoys living in Shanghai. "Especially so now that I live just outside Shanghai," says the Welsh Captain laughing, the merest hint of the lilt of the valleys still present in his accent. He now describes Shanghai as: "a great city and a good mixture of a lot of cities -- New York, London, Paris, and the people are so friendly, in all my time here I don't think I've had cross words with anyone yet."
China will be, according to Coffin, the biggest shipbuilder in the world within the next three years "if not before." He predicts the shipping boom to continue for another three years at least as well, "all driven by China's insatiable quest for raw materials."
As one of the founding members and former vice commodore of the Shanghai Boat and Yacht Club (see www.shanghaibyc.org) Coffin enjoys nothing more than a blast in his New Zealand designed, China built trimaran on Dianshan Lake. "Goodness, it's fast," the captain laughs again.
John Coffin
Nationality: Welsh
Age: 60
Profession: Ship builder
Favorite place in Shanghai?
The ability to do business here very quickly, I enjoy the city's vibrancy.
Worst experience?
The driving.
Description of yourself:
I've no idea.
Favorite weekend?
Sailing on Dianshan Lake.
Life's motto?
Remember you can always learn something, there's always somebody who knows more than you.
What can be done to improve Shanghai?
Teach the incumbents to be better mannered.
Advice to new expats?
Take your time and listen to what people are really saying.
(Shanghai Daily June 19, 2007)
