Arun Sharma, Executive Chairman of the Indian Register of Shipping (IRClass), has been elected as the new Chairman of the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) in a recent Council meeting held in Busan, Korea.

Mr Sharma took over as Chair on 1st July and has outlined his key priorities during his year long tenure which includes IACS to take a larger role in industry matters with a view to provide value added services to owners on the implementation of regulatory requirements.

He stressed on the need to continuously strengthen the systems within IACS towards maintaining and enhancing quality operations. He is also keen to enhance interaction with stakeholders towards affirming its relevance to the industry.

Mr. Sharma highlighted that IACS recognises the importance of good data in decision-making to guide its policy decisions and work has commenced on the formulation of IACS data driven policy. This would be "a very important step and will be one of the main priorities in the coming year," he said.

Congratulating his predecessor Mr Jeong-Kie Lee, Korean Register's Chairman and CEO, Mr Sharma commented: "I am grateful to Jeong-Kie for his personal commitment to IACS during his Chairmanship and for laying the groundwork on a number of key initiatives that will be my responsibility to bring to conclusion. I am confident that with the support of all my Council colleagues, IACS will be able to demonstrate the proactive commitment necessary to ensure that the Association remains well positioned for the many challenges that face the maritime community."

Issued by Elaborate Communications