The IACS Council held its 79th session (C79) in Busan, South Korea, last week, where it marked the conclusion of the Korean Register’s Chairmanship. From 1st July 2019, Mr. Arun Sharma, Executive Chairman of the Indian Register of Shipping, took the helm of IACS.
I am honoured to be taking on the Chairmanship of IACS as it continues to evolve to meet the challenges posed by a rapidly changing maritime world. IACS has in place a number of related initiatives and my focus will be on bringing those to fruition whilst also ensuring IACS continues to provide expert technical advice and guidance to the international shipping community driven by its mission of promoting the safety of life at sea and the protection of property and the environment,
…said Mr. Arun Sharma, taking over the IACS Chairmanship on 1st July.
Addressing the IACS Council, Mr. Sharma further stressed that his Chairmanship will look to continuously improving the governance and leadership of the Association, investigating the introduction of data-driven decision-making.
Looking back on his year, KR Chairman and CEO, Mr Jeong-Kie Lee reiterated key accomplishments of the IACS, such as the 12 Recommendations on Cyber Security and the successful launch of the International Quality Assessment Review Body (IQARB) initiative, whose aim is to provide greater transparency and independent oversight of IACS Members’ quality performance.
Quality operations, new technologies and industry engagement were high on the agenda of the IACS Council (C79).
The Council initiated a process to introduce further enhancements to its Quality System Certification Scheme (QSCS) while, in parallel, continuing to work on the evolution of IQARB.
Recognising the value of good data in decision-making, the IACS Council has also established a high-level group to assess how IACS can embed data into its policy making processes.