Taipei, Taiwan, March 13, 2014—Evergreen Group Chairman Dr. Chang Yung-Fa has been presented with the Federal Republic of Germany’s Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit in recognition of his contribution to the port of Hamburg; his achievement in the international transportation industry; his devotion to charity and promotion of education and cultural exchange. The award was presented on behalf of Mr. Joachim Gauck, the President of Germany, by Mr. Mirko Kruppa, Acting Director General of the German Institute, Taipei at a ceremony held at the Chang Yung-Fa Foundation in Taipei. Mr. Frank Horch, Senator of Economic Affairs of the City of Hamburg, travelled from Germany especially to present the certificate conferring the honor on Dr. Chang.
Nomination for the honor is mostly made on the recommendation of local government representatives and is approved by the President of the Federal Republic of Germany for achievements in the political, economic, social or intellectual realm. Dr. Chang is the third Taiwanese honoree to receive the Cross of the Order of Merit but the first to be made a Commander.
Evergreen’s links with Germany date back more than 30 years. In 1979, Evergreen Marine Corp, the Group’s shipping division, launched its Far East – Europe service, successfully breaking the then monopoly of the trade by the Far Eastern Freight Conference (FEFC). Hamburg was the first port of call of the inaugural voyage by EVER VITAL, the first Taiwan-built containership. In 1984, Evergreen Line launched an unprecedented round-the-world eastbound and westbound service. The first port of call on this service was also Hamburg.
Through its comprehensive service network, Evergreen Line continues to provide convenient links for German imports and exports. Furthermore, the carrier’s efficient feeder connections help boost the throughput of Hamburg port and enhance its position as one of the world’s major trans-shipment hubs.
Currently Evergreen Line operates three services to Germany, including two strings from the Far East and one Trans-Atlantic route. Through capacity swap arrangements with other carriers, the line offers a further seven loops serving Germany. In the ports of Hamburg and Bremerhaven, Evergreen’s annual throughput has exceeded 500,000 TEUs over the past decade, contributing more than 40 million euros to local container shipping interests, including port, terminal, rail and trucking companies, etc.
Evergreen Group established Evergreen Deutschland GmbH (now renamed Evergreen Shipping Agency Deutschland GmbH) in 1986 and built its own office building in Hamburg. The company also has offices in Bremen, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt and Munich.
Evergreen Group also works closely with German aviation companies. EVA Air Cargo code-shares with Lufthansa Cargo on freight routes. EVA ordered 24 new A321-200 passenger aircraft that Airbus builds in Hamburg. The aircraft are outfitted with Recaro seats, made by a German company. And Evergreen Aviation Technologies (EGAT) selected Lufthansa Technik (LHT) to supply components EVA’s Boeing 747-400s and Airbus A330s and A321s.
In addition to his countless contributions to international transport growth and development, Dr. Chang is generous and tireless in his dedication to charity and social welfare. He founded the Chang Yung-Fa Foundation in 1985 to provide charitable aid and emergency relief. The financial resources of this charitable fund are contributed mainly by Dr. Chang himself.
In recent years, numerous honors have been bestowed upon Dr. Chang in Taiwan and abroad for his remarkable achievements in global transportation and contributions to social welfare. Including the Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit, Dr. Chang has to date received fifteen medals of distinction and eight honorary doctorate titles.
Caption:
Mr. Frank Horch, Senator of Economic Affairs of the City of Hamburg(left)
Dr. Chang Yung-Fa, Evergreen Group Chairman (middle)
Mr. Mirko Kruppa, Acting Director General of the German Institute(right)
Medals of Honor
1979 COMMANDER OF THE ORDER OF MARITIME MERIT, SAN FRANCISCO, USA
1982 CHINESE NATIONALIST PARTY FIRST-CLASS CATHAY MEDAL, ROC
1984 MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT FIRST-CLASS PORT NAVIGATION MEDAL, ROC
1985 NATIONAL ORDER OF VASCO NUNEZ DE BALBOA, PANAMA
1991 MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT THIRD-CLASS TRANSPORTATION MEDAL, ROC
1996 MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS FIRST-CLASS DIPLOMACY MEDAL, ROC
2000 ORDER OF CHIVALRY (DMPN), STATE OF PENANG, MALAYSIA
2002 NATIONAL ORDER OF THE LEGION OF HONOR, FRANCE
2006 COMMANDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE (CBE), UK
2007 ORDER OF LOYALTY TO THE CROWN (PSM), TAN SRI TITLE, MALAYSIA
2007 KNIGHT OF THE GRAND CROSS, ITALY
2008 COMMANDER OF THE ORDER OF THE CROWN, BELGIUM
2011 COMMANDER OF THE ORDER OF ORANGE-NASSAU, NETHERLANDS
2012 ORDER OF THE RISING SUN, GOLD AND SILVER STAR, JAPAN
2014 COMMANDER’S CROSS OF THE ORDER OF MERIT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY
Titles of Honorary Doctorate
1990 HON LHD, CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSTIY, USA
1995 HON DBA, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA, USA
1998 HON DSHIPPING/TM, NATIONAL TAIWAN OCEAN UNIVERSITY, ROC
1999 HON DBA, NOTTINGHAM TRENT UNIVERSITY, UK
2000 HON DBA, NATIONAL CHIAO TUNG UNIVERSITY, ROC
2007 HON DT & HON ACADEMICIAN, RUSSIAN ACADEMY OF TRANSPORT, RUSSIA
2012 HON DE, NATIONAL CHENG KUNG UNIVERSITY, ROC
2013 HON DS, NATIONAL TAIWAN UNIVERSITY, ROC
ENDS