Indian Register of Shipping (IRClass), a leading international classification society, said it plans to further expand its operations into the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region with new offices in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Lebanon and Nigeria.

The expansion plan underlines its commitment towards the growing number of customers from this region and enhances the classification society’s proximity to flag administrations, ship owners, shipyards and other stakeholders in the MEA region, said a statement.

Promoting its new strapline - ‘Your Partner in Maritime Risk Management’, IRClass is exhibiting at the Seatrade Maritime Middle East 2018 (SMME 2018) and is showcasing new services including Cyber Risk Management & IMO Data Collection System, it said.

Suresh Sinha, managing director, said: “The Middle East continues to be a key region for us with its high growth potential. With existing offices in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Fujairah and RO authorisation from UAE, Qatar and Oman flag administrations, our focus for this region will be to further extend our reach and gain recognition from other key flag administrations in the Middle East region.”

“We are also looking to engage with the region’s major oil companies to supplement our growth and the proposed new offices will further improve our service levels,” he added. – TradeArabia News Service