International Register of Shipping (IRS) Opens Singapore Office

International Register of Shipping (IRS) has opened an office in Singapore as part of its continued strategy to expand its worldwide presence and offer its clients fast and efficient services. The office will be designated as a regional centre for the classification society and will offer a wide range of services.

"Singapore is one the busiest ports in the world and with a free market economy and political stability, many shipping companies are making this their home," says Julian Padilla, Chairman of the Board of International Register of Shipping. "We intend to be the preferred service provider to these companies.

"With the opening of our Singapore office, we will be closer to ship operators who can benefit from our technical consulting services, including preparation/submittal/approval of the SOPEP, PCSOPEP, Garbage Plan, Ship Security Plan, Safety Management System, Loading Manual, Trim & Stability booklet, and so on."

Mr Padilla says IRS is an organisation committed to promoting safety and quality in shipping.

"As part of our contribution to help overcome the acute shortage of trained marine professionals, we extend our available resources to the whole maritime industry through our International Register Training Institute (IRTI), which has been accredited by the International Register of Certificated Auditors (IRCA). The courses offered by us include auditing Maritime Safety Management Systems and various courses related to the ISPS Code, Marine Surveyors, and so on."

International Register of Shipping, established in 1993, is an independent classification society serving a fleet of more than 1,300 ships around the world, with surveyors working in more than 100 countries. It already has exclusive offices/surveyors in Alexandria, Bergen, Cochin, Dakar, Dubai, Houston, Lagos, Limassol, Moscow, New Orleans, Odessa, Panama City, Piraeus, Shanghai, Tartous, and Vladivostok, with headquarters in Miami.

Zhang Shang Chun, IRS Singapore Principal Surveyor, says: "Our team in Singapore is drawn from the elite of the local and international maritime community. The team members have an excellent working relationship with the local shipowners and have immense knowledge of the international and national laws."

The office is staffed by highly experienced and knowledgeable personnel who have been working in the classification society business for many years. The team includes marine engineers, naval architects, master mariners, marine oil and gas specialists, marine risk and security specialists, oil terminal specialists and quality/environment/safety and safety lead auditors.

"They will bring their wealth of experience and talent to work in collaboration with the local authority, shipowners and ship managers to meet the ever changing and stringent maritime standards," says Mr Padilla.

IRS’s mission is to establish a reliable and trustworthy organisation to serve the maritime industry and to contribute to the safety of lives at sea, protection of property and the prevention of pollution to the environment

Mr Padilla says: "We aim to be the complete partner to the maritime fraternity. We take pride in embracing our core values of providing excellent and reliable services and in our total commitment to quality and ethical practices. The opening of the Singapore office is another step in our commitment to offer our customers a comprehensive and high quality service, wherever they are in the world."

www.intlreg.org

NOTES TO EDITORS:

The International Register of Shipping has more than 1,300 ships on its register, with a combined gross tonnage of 7.3 million tonnes.

It is currently authorized by 18 flag administrations to perform statutory certification in accordance with many of the International Maritime Organization's conventions. With 17 offices across the world and a presence in 100 countries through affiliated offices, the IRS has a truly global presence

It is an independent classification society without the patronage of any particular flag administration.

Also independent of the IACS, IRS acts with impartiality and objectivity as a self-regulating agency to the international marine industry, with the mission of serving the public interest as well as the needs of clients by promoting the safety and security of life, property and the natural environment.

The society does this by acting as a regulatory body governing the development and verification of standards for the design, construction and operational maintenance of marine-related facilities.

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