ABS, Polish Register sign cooperative agreement
(Gdansk, Poland ). Christopher J. Wiernicki,
President and Chief Operating Officer of ABS and Dr. Jan Jankowski, President
of the Board, Polish Register of Shipping (Polski Rejestr Statkow) have signed
a wide-ranging cooperative agreement that will see the two class societies
offering dual class services and exploring other areas of mutual interest. It
is an agreement reached between the two societies that ushers in a new era of
cooperation between ABS, one of the largest class societies and a prominent
member of the International Association of Classification Societies, and the
EU-recognized Polish society.
"The Polish Register has been carrying out an intense
research and development program into safety criteria for bulk carriers and for
smaller vessels over the last few years," said Wiernicki. "Their work has
helped to advance the industry's understanding in these areas."
Coupled with the Society's recognition by the EU in
2006, following a rigorous auditing process, and its contribution to
discussions at the IMO through its national delegation, Wiernicki noted that
"these efforts have sent a clear signal to industry of the commitment of Dr.
Jankowski and the staff of PRS to the development and provision of
classification services that enhance maritime safety. ABS is very pleased to
begin working with them, both on new construction projects and future research
efforts, to our mutual benefit."
Dr. Jankowski welcomed the new agreement with ABS.
"The combination of breakthroughs in the approach to developing safety
regulations and information technology development pose significant challenges
for classification societies. This cooperation agreement with ABS is a clear
expression of our desire to make a meaningful contribution to maritime safety.
The dual class agreement between our two societies for two 38,000 dwt double
hull bulk carriers that have been ordered from Tianjin Xingang Shipbuilding in
China by the Polish Steamship Company (Polsteam) is a good start."
The two societies are currently exploring avenues to
develop the new relationship including sharing software and joint research and
development projects. "ABS has had a long standing presence in Poland," said
Wiernicki. "We are currently expanding that presence with the opening of an
engineering office and we foresee many opportunities for working more closely
with Polish Register in Poland and in the major shipbuilding centers."
Founded in 1862, ABS is a leading international
classification society devoted to promoting the security of life, property and
the marine environment through the development and verification of standards
for the design, construction and operational maintenance of marine-related
facilities. Polski Rejestr Statkow, founded in 1936, is an independent expert
institution, providing its services on the international market. PRS
establishes technical requirements, performs surveys and issues
certification.
Note to Editors: Photographs of the signing can
be downloaded from the Polish Register's website
www.prs.pl and from the Dunelm
website www.dunelmpr.co.uk
Captions for the photographs
From left to right: Dr Jan Jankowski (PRS Board
President) and Mr Chris Wiernicki (ABS COO), Mr Antonio C Lino Costa
(Vice-President, ABS Europe), Dr Stefan Grochowalski (PRS R&D Division) and
Mr Jerzy Wyrzykowski (Member, PRS Board).
From left to right: Dr Jan Jankowski (PRS Board
President) and Mr Chris Wiernicki (ABS COO),
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