New Natural Resource & Energy Team
ClassNK announced that it had established a new Natural Resource & Energy Development Project Team as part of a wider effort to expand its presence in the offshore sector. The class society, which revealed last month that nearly 20 million gross t joined its register in 2010, had previously focused primarily on the maritime side of the energy sector. However, the establishment of this new team signals a shift in ClassNK’s approach to the offshore field.
“With the incredible growth of the world fleet over the past decade, as a classification society we have focused on the maritime side of the industry,” explains ClassNK Chairman & President Noboru Ueda. “I am proud to say that we have made a positive and lasting contribution in this area. However, as one of the world’s leading classification societies, we have a duty to support the development of the entire maritime industry, and I believe that we can make an equally positive contribution to the offshore sector as well.”
The core of the new Natural Resource and Energy Development Team is made up of members of ClassNK’s former Gas Carrier Team, including many of the Society’s top LNG experts. Around this core of experts, ClassNK has added numerous experts from supporting fields in order to provide comprehensive support for the growing offshore energy sector. “This new team” , says Team Leader Hirofumi Takano, ” is comprised of some of the top minds at ClassNK, both in Japan and overseas. Among the team members we have not only LNG and offshore experts, but also machinery experts, material & equipment experts, top researchers from our Research Institute, and top level management from our offices in Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. By bringing together staff from various fields, as well as from around the globe, we have created a team that will be able to respond rapidly and effectively to potential new projects anywhere in the world.”