Li Duozhu is one shipowner who cannot be accused of undue scepticism about technological progress.
The Shanghai Dingheng Shipping chairman closed last week's TradeWinds Shipping China conference on a personal note, revealing that he has frozen some of his blood and hopes to live forever.
The topic was meant to be vessels, and not the kind that carry blood, of course.
Asked about the prospects for autonomous shipping and how that may affect us all, the 55-year-old chemical carrier pathfinder indicated that he will have plenty of time to find out first-hand. Within 30 years, he told the TradeWinds delegates and fellow panellists, he expects science to have given us a life expectancy of 150 years. Within 50 years, we could all be immortal.
For that reason, he has paid a cryogenics outfit to keep his blood for therapeutic use, in case he needs some extraordinary maintenance to get him past that final special survey.
Delegates didn't seem to mind having to work out for themselves what it all had to do with unmanned ships. It was the end of a good conference and time for some blood thinning courtesy of the Liberian Registry.
Paradoxically, perhaps, Li is betting against eternal life when it comes to shipping. His recent deal with Ningbo Xinle Shipbuilding to build up to 20 ships, with hints of further orders for up to 100 over 10 years, is based on the inevitable attrition of the ageing fleet.
That would seem to mean he is more optimistic about humanity than about stainless-steel chemical carriers at least where longevity is concerned, but return on investment would be another question.
