IRClass' Arun Sharma Takes the Helm at IACS

Arun Sharma, the head of the Indian Register of Shipping (IRClass), has been elected to a one-year term as chairman of the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) in a recent council meeting in Busan, Korea. 
 
Sharma took over as chair on July 1, and his key priorities for his tenure at IACS include strengthening the body's systems to ensure quality operations, providing assistance to the industry for the IMO2020 low sulfur transition, and enhancing interaction with shipowners in order to affirm the group's relevance to shipping.

"Our real emphasis is going to be a genuine interaction with the industry to see how they would want IACS to improve," Sharma said in a recent interview. 

The meeting on July 1 also marked the end of the IACS chairmanship of Jeong-Kie Lee, Korean Register’s chairman and CEO. In a statement, Lee said that he was pleased that he had been able to deliver a set of recommendations on cyber safety and to oversee the successful launch of the International Quality Assessment Review Body (IQARB), which oversees IACS member society quality and performance. 
 
“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," Sharma said. "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.”

Under Sharma's leadership, IRClass is expanding from its home market in India and making new inroads in the Mediterranean. In particular, the society has ambitions to acquire new business in the Greek and Turkish shipping industries, Sharma says, with an aim to provide high quality class and certification services at a competitive cost.