June 10 - Classification society ClassNK is set to open more than five new offices in Europe.
Having recently opened offices in Klaipeda, Lithuania, and Ebeltoft, Denmark, ClassNK will now open new offices in Bergen, Norway; Würzburg, Germany; and Helsinki, Finland; with further offices planned in Ukraine and Sweden.
The addition of offices represents a 25 percent increase in the size of ClassNK's network in Europe, an expansion made necessary by the growing number of European owners that are classing their vessels with the Society, said an official statement.
ClassNK's strategy to enhance operations in Europe was signalled by its expansion of the ClassNK Hamburg Office in 2011, in a move to provide better support to the shipowning community in Northern Europe. This move has paid dividends for ClassNK, which set new records for the number of vessels and total tonnage added to its register in 2012.
ClassNK chairman and president Noboru Ueda noted that: "Nearly 1,000 vessels and more than 25 million gross tons were added to the ClassNK register in 2012; a new record for ClassNK and a historic success that we owe in no small part to the support of shipowners in Europe."
In the picture we see representatives from four Northern European ship owners that have recently transferred ships to ClassNK.
