ClassNK Receives Safety at Sea Award at Seatrade Awards

Leading classification society ClassNK received the Safety at Sea Award at the Seatrade Awards 2013 held at Guildhall, City of London on 10 May for its efforts to improve the safety of nickel ore carriage. This marks the first time that ClassNK has received an award at the Seatrade Awards, which are held every year in London to recognize companies and individuals for their contributions to the maritime industry. ClassNK Chairman and President Noboru Ueda attended the ceremony, and accepted the award on behalf of the Society in front of more than 350 attendees from throughout the global maritime industry.

The Seatrade Awards distinguished panel of judges awarded ClassNK with the Safety at Sea Award for its work in developing its Guidelines for the Safe Carriage of Nickel Ore (Second Edition). Labeled “the world’s most dangerous cargo” by INTERCARGO, the liquefaction of nickel ore cargoes during transport was responsible for the loss of 66 lives in South East Asia from 2009 to 2011 alone. The guidelines developed by ClassNK not only provide methods to prevent the liquefaction of nickel ore cargos during transport, but also include the world’s first design standards for building “Specially Constructed Cargo Ships” capable of safely carrying of nickel ore cargoes.

The Guidelines for the Safe Carriage of Nickel Ore (Second Edition) have previously been awarded with the Safety Award at the Lloyd’s List Global Awards 2012 as well as the Technical Innovation Award at the Seatrade Sri Lanka Ports, Trade and Logistics Awards 2013.

Speaking on the occasion, Chairman and President Noboru Ueda said: “It is a great honor to receive this award and to be recognized by both Seatrade and this distinguished panel of judges. At ClassNK, we are committed to the ensuring the safety of lives and property at sea, and the new guidelines we have developed to help reduce the dangers of nickel ore cargoes are an important example of that commitment. ClassNK will continue to dedicate ourselves to research and development, and we will strive to provide new innovations to help secure a safer future for the entire maritime industry.”

The Guidelines for the Safe Carriage of Nickel Ore (Second Edition) are available free of charge via the ClassNK MyPage section of the ClassNK website. To download these and other guidelines, please register at www.classnk.or.jp.