ABS and The Republic of Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport and Communication (MTC) have concluded an agreement granting ABS Recognized Organization (RO) status, able to act on behalf of the country’s maritime Administration.
This designation allows ABS to perform statutory certification surveys and functions on board Republic of Kazakhstan flagged vessels and offshore units, and for companies which operate these ships and units. In this capacity, ABS determines the compliance of such vessels with applicable international convention requirements and national regulations for the issuance of relevant statutory certificates on behalf of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
United States Embassy delegates, led by Chargé d'affaires Pamela Spratlen, joined representatives from ABS and MTC at a ceremony held in the Kazakhstan capital city of Astana to mark the occasion.
During the ceremony, ABS Europe Division President and COO Todd Grove said, “This formal recognition builds on the well-established relationship between ABS and the Ministry of the Republic of Kazakhstan. We are now able to offer our clients with vessels flying the Kazakh flag a fully integrated classification and certification service that will be more efficient than before.”
On behalf of MTC, Berik Uandykov, Chairman of the Transport and Railways Committee, recognized the importance of the international marine and offshore experience that ABS brings to the region.
Grove also noted the importance of Kazakhstan to ABS with the appointment of Vasily Svistak as ABS Manager of Technology and Business Development based in Kazakhstan.
ABS is the leader in providing classification services to offshore operators working in the Caspian Sea region with the majority of the drilling and offshore units classed by ABS.