Leading classification society ClassNK has announced that its register topped 230 million gross tons for the first time. The announcement was made following a meeting of the Society’s Classification Committee, which certified that the NK Register listed 8,826 vessels totaling 231.34 million gross tons at the end of November 2014.
As ClassNK finished 2013 with some 220.9 million gross tons on its register, the achievement means that ClassNK has added a net total of more than 10 million gross tons to its register in the first 11 months of the year, continuing the leading classification society’s stunning growth over recent years. Continuing recent trends for the Society, transfers of vessels from other classification societies accounted for more than one third of the vessels joining the ClassNK Register, setting a new record for the Society.
Speaking on the occasion, ClassNK Chairman and President Noboru Ueda said:“In addition to our growth in Europe, which has seen European shipping companies account for more than half the vessel’s transferred to our register so far this year, in 2014 we have also welcomed our first US flagged vessels, as well as many new builds from South America and other new markets for ClassNK around the world. The continued growth of our register despite the recent downturn in the market reflects the increasingly global scope of our activities and our unmatched commitment to providing the best classification services to owners, operators, shipyards and designers around the world.”
About ClassNK
Nippon Kaiji Kyokai, known as ClassNK or NK, is a ship classification society. The Society is actively engaged in a growing range of ship related activities and services aimed at contributing to promoting the protection of human life and property at sea as well as protection of the marine environment.