The Indian Register of Shipping, an independent ship classification society, has entered USA to tap the North American and Canadian markets by making major shipping city Houston its home.
A ship classification society establishes and maintains standards for the construction and classification of ships and offshore structures.
Indian Register of Shipping (IRS), an associate member of the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS), made the announcement at a formal reception organised jointly by Consul General Sanjiv Arora and IRS Chairman, J C Anand on May 18.
The reception saw several local dignitaries including Harris County Commissioner's Court Judge Ed Emmett Peter Brown, Chairman Mayor's Trade and Development Council Noboro Ueda, Chairman and President of Japan's Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK), who has been instrumental in launching the IRS office here, flying in from Tokyo for the opening.
Describing the entry of IRS as a milestone in Indo-US commerce and trade Consul General Sanjeev Arora told PTI, "The opening of an office of the IRS would make a positive contribution in promoting India-US business cooperation."
The distinctive advantages of Houston, a major port and a leading global center of oil and gas, were taken into account in choosing the location for an IRS office covering North and South America, he said, adding there are sizable trade and investment flows between companies in India, and in Texas and beyond.
{{/usCountry}}The distinctive advantages of Houston, a major port and a leading global center of oil and gas, were taken into account in choosing the location for an IRS office covering North and South America, he said, adding there are sizable trade and investment flows between companies in India, and in Texas and beyond.
{{/usCountry}}"Houston’s proximity to the Gulf of Mexico also offers considerable business opportunities for the IRS office here," said Arora.
Explaining the activities and areas of operations, Chairman of IRS J C Anand said, "We are looking forward to provide quality services to its clients and foster closer and enduring ties with them. IRS will act as a catalyst of self-regulation by Indian shipping industries and to serve as a forum of research and development".
"The services are designed to meet ISO 9001 specifications (the International Standard on Quality Management Systems) and thereby help achieve high levels of quality and reliability, while maintaining project schedules and integrity.
Further, they are proven to be cost-effective and meet timelines efficiently, Anand said.