Leading classification society ClassNK received the Technical Innovation Award at the Seatrade Sri Lanka Ports, Trade & Logistics Awards 2013 held at the Hilton Hotel Colombo on 2 May for its efforts to improve bulk carrier safety. ClassNK Managing Director Tetsuya Kinoshita attended the ceremony and accepted the award on behalf of ClassNK.

The distinguished panel of judges awarded ClassNK with the Technical Innovation Award for its work in developing the Guidelines for the Safe Carriage of Nickel Ore (Second Edition). Labeled “the world’s most dangerous cargo” by INTERCARGO, 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 include methods to prevent the liquefaction of nickel ore cargos during transport and provide the world’s first design standards for building “Specially Constructed Cargo Ships” capable of safely carrying of nickel ore cargoes.

Speaking on the occasion, ClassNK Managing Director Tetsuya Kinoshita said: “It is truly an honor to be recognized by the Seatrade Sri Lanka Ports, Trade & Logistics Awards. Since opening our Colombo Office in 2011 we have made supporting the local maritime industry in Sri Lanka a top priority, and this award marks an important milestone for our efforts in this key region. At ClassNK we are dedicated to providing the maritime industry with the latest in technical innovations to help improve safety at sea and protect the marine environment, and the Guidelines for the Safe Carriage of Nickel Ore are just but one part of ClassNK’s research and development efforts. We will continue to provide the maritime industry with more groundbreaking technical solutions in the future.”