New Group Standard Released to Elevate Quality, Safety and Environmental Management for China's Engineering Diving Industry

6 September 2026, Richao-A launch and promotion conference for the group standard Certification Requirements of Quality, Occupational Health and Safety and Environmental Management Systems of Commercial Diving Firm (T/CDSA 404.3-2026) was successfully held at Tiande International Hotel in Rizhao, Shandong Province, on September 6, 2026. Hosted by Cica (Shandong) Certification Service Co., Ltd, a member of the China Diving and Salvage Association (CDSA).

Filling the long-standing gap in integrated certification standards for quality, safety and environmental management in China’s specialized commercial diving sector, the newly released standard marks a milestone for industry standardization development and provides robust empowerment for the high-quality growth of the industrial chain.

The conference kicked off with an opening speech by Mao Zengke, Deputy General Manager and Head of the DSQSE Business Department of Cica (Shandong) Certification Service Co., Ltd. Mr. Mao extended sincere gratitude and warm welcome to government officials, industry peers, experts, scholars and media representatives who have consistently supported the standardization construction of the engineering diving industry.

Subsequently, Wang Zhengqiang, Director of the Industry Self-Regulation  Department of CDSA, officially announced the release of the group standard at the conference, confirming its official implementation and clarifying relevant regulatory and implementation requirements. The announcement signifies that China’s commercial diving and salvage industry now has its own exclusive and targeted certification standard.

Wang Decheng, General Manager of Cica (Shandong) Certification Service Co., Ltd., delivered a comprehensive report on the current development of specialized management systems, certification institutions and supporting certification services in China’s diving and salvage industry. Different from conventional separate certification mechanisms, the new standard integrates quality, occupational health and safety, and environmental management certification into a unified system, featuring high professionalism and practicality, and offering authoritative technical support for the standardized and professional certification of the industry.

Focusing on effective implementation and practical application of the new standard, Tian Panpan, technical expert and national registered auditor at Cica (Shandong) Certification Service Co., Ltd., conducted an in-depth thematic interpretation of the standard provisions. Combining professional specifications with on-site operational scenarios, the detailed explanation delivered clear and actionable guidelines for enterprises to optimize system construction and complete compliant certification.

Song Jiahui, Former President of CDSA, delivered a concluding speech at the ceremony. He extended sincere congratulations on the official release of the group standard and fully recognized the outstanding contributions of Cica (Shandong) Certification Service Co., Ltd. in the standard formulation process. He also put forward clear requirements for the future promotion and implementation of the standard, emphasizing the need to increase investment in standardization research, continuously improve the full-chain standard system of the diving and salvage industry, and lead the industry’s safe, green and high-quality development with refined standards.

The conference gathered industry experts, enterprise representatives, certification practitioners and journalists, who jointly witnessed a pivotal moment in the standardization development of China’s commercial diving and salvage industry.

The official implementation of T/CDSA 404.3-2026 will exert far-reaching and transformative impacts on the commercial diving and salvage industry. In terms of certification evaluation, it establishes a unified three-dimensional certification judgment criterion for segmented engineering diving and salvage fields, ending the industry’s long-term reliance on general standards for auditing and enabling certification evaluation to fully align with the high-risk characteristics of underwater operations.

For industrial enterprises, the standard provides clear, implementable benchmarks for system construction, helping enterprises make up shortcomings in quality control, occupational health safety and environmental management, and effectively mitigate safety and environmental risks in underwater operations. For the entire industry, it will drive industrial upgrading and optimal resource allocation, phase out extensive and non-standard business entities, comprehensively improve the overall standardized operation level of the engineering diving sector, and lay a solid standardized foundation for the high-quality development of the underwater engineering industry.