ClassNK announces expansion in Europe
Signing ceremony during this year’s Nor-Shipping in Oslo
The expansion, which includes new offices already established in Klaipeda, Lithuania, and Ebeltoft, Denmark, will see ClassNK open new offices in Bergen, Norway; Würzburg, Germany; and Helsinki, Finland; with further offices planned in Ukraine and Sweden.
The importance of the new offices was emphasised by ClassNK’s executive vice president Yasushi Nakamura, who said: “As a non-profit organisation, our goal is to reduce costs for the maritime industry. By expanding our presence in Europe, we can not only better serve the needs of the growing number of European owners who class their vessels with ClassNK, but also reduce the costs of surveys and certification costs for owners and manufacturers throughout the region.
The addition of offices represents a 25% increase in the size of ClassNK’s network in Europe, an expansion made necessary by the growing number of European owners who are classing their vessels with the society, it noted.
ClassNK’s recent growth has been led by German and Norwegian owners who have together transferred nearly 100 existing and newbuilding vessels, totaling more than 2.5 million gross tonnes to ClassNK since the beginning of 2012.
The signing ceremony commemorated the official transfer of three existing bulk carriers from Orion Bulkers GmbH & Co. KG, Germany, two bulk carrier newbuildings from Johann M. K. Blumenthal GmbH & Co. KG, Germany, one existing tanker from Medallion Reederei GmbH, Germany, and five bulk carriers from Norway’s Stove Rederi AS to the ClassNK register.
