IRClass Opens Office in Alang to Support Recycling Initiatives

Indian Register of Shipping (IRClass), a leading international classification society, opens an office in Alang, India, today.

The new office will serve to support its ship recycling initiative in Alang, following on its recent initiative of certifying ship recycling yards according to EU standards as an ‘Independent Verifier’.

IRClass Systems and Solutions Pvt. Ltd. (ISSPL), an entity promoted by Indian Register of Shipping, has since certified four leading ship recycling yards in Alang as an ‘Independent Verifier’ in accordance with the requirements of European Union Ship Recycling Regulation (EUSRR) 1257/2013. So far, about 25 ship recycling facilities have approached IRClass for different services which included compliance audit against Hong Kong Convention (HKC), EU compliance audit and ISO certifications.

Commenting on the office opening, Mr. Arun Sharma, Chairman of ISSPL said: “It is an opportune time to have a presence in Alang. This is a step in the right direction in India’s transformation into an international maritime hub. As one of the first few organizations in the world to certify ship recycling yards, we believe we are at the forefront of change in encouraging sustainable ship recycling practice.

We are pleased to play a major role in what we strongly believe in at IRClass – the preservation of life and property at sea and on shore.”

IRClass hopes to achieve heightened awareness on sustainable ship recycling by conducting training programs, mainly touching on the safety aspects of ship recycling.

The aim of sustainable ship recycling, according to IMO’s Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships (Hong Kong Convention), is to ensure that ships when recycled, do not pose any unnecessary risks to human health, safety and to the environment.