ClassNK delivers full range of services to meet client expectations
Industry Reports by Synergy Media Specialists
Established in 1899, Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK) has developed an international reputation for safeguarding life and property at sea, preventing marine pollution, protecting the marine environment and supporting the development of "green-shipping".
ClassNK provides clients with a full range of services, including classification and statutory surveying, registration of ship safety management systems, auditing and consultation services, material and equipment approvals, certification of quality, environmental and occupational health and safety management systems.
At the end of January it had 7,718 ships totalling more than 195 million gross tonnage on its register, which is approximately 20 per cent of the world's classified merchant fleet.
Today, ClassNK is the world's largest ship classification society on a per-tonnage basis, and international shipowners are keen to partner with ClassNK and apply for the highest standards of classification.
Headquartered in Tokyo, ClassNK also maintains an independent research centre in nearby Chiba prefecture. The society has also expanded its international footprint to include almost 100 international offices, 11 of which can be found in China.
Noboru Ueda, chairman and president of ClassNK, recognises that the society's growth in China is due to the continuing growth of the Chinese shipbuilding industry.