The classification institute collaborates with IRISL in gas tankers, tankers and off-shore ships.
Here is a rare interview with Ms. Paillette PALAIOLOGOU, Marine Marketing & Sales Director of Bureau Veritas (B.V.) The French Company with MANA, in the following, you will read:
Please let us know (in brief) about your company while introducing yourself as well?
Founded in 1828 in Antwerp, Belgium, to serve the marine industry, Bureau Veritas is a world leader in conformity assessment and certification services. It helps its clients to improve their performances by offering services and innovative solutions in order to ensure that their assets, products, infrastructure and processes meet standards and regulations in terms of quality, health and safety, environmental protection and social responsibility.In the maritime and offshore fields, its missions are:
Classification: we assess ships for conformity with specific sets of rules, mainly determining structural soundness and reliability of machinery on-board. BV is active in the classification of all types of ships and offshore units.
Certification and issuance of statutory certificates on behalf of more 150 Government and Flag authorities and in accordance with the rules standards developed by IMO and ILO;
Advisory services and consulting including training services in the technical and regulatory field.
Paillette Palaiologou: I am the Marine Marketing & Sales Director within the Marine & Offshore Operating Group. My mission is to define and lead Bureau Veritas business development strategy and priorities in the maritime market.
I am a Naval Architect and hold a Master of Science in Marine Engineering from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne.
I have started my professional career in a Shipping company based in Athens (Oceanbulk Maritime S.A), as Technical Superintendent and then Head of Hull & Classification Department.
I am with BV since 2005 when I joined the Piraeus office as Marine Centre Surveyor and then I have subsequently been promoted first to Senior Surveyor, then to Marketing & Business Development Manager for the Hellenic and Black Sea region.
How do you categorize your company to others in classification society?
BV is among the leading IACS Classification Societies and with a fleet totalling over 11,330 ships is ranked no.2 in terms of number of vessels.BV has created a set of modern user-friendly tools using information technologies, like the VeriSTAR family products, able to provide timely and cost-effective solutions for shipowners and ship operators.
BV develops R&D programmes and technical studies with a high level of expertise in safety and quality in order to facilitate the decision-making process and to optimise costs.
We pride ourselves on our international outlook and our very responsive global network, so we can help shipowners anywhere in the world very quickly and with local knowledge.
What is your opinion to cooperate with IRISL in the new era after sanction lifting?
BV had a long lasting relationship and cooperation with IRISL. We are happy that we can again enhance and develop this cooperation further in the new era of the Iranian Shipping.
What would be the total capacity of the mutual cooperation with IRISL in container, bulk... etc. In details if possible?
Bureau Veritas has a leading position on container and bulk shipping and a strongly diversified experience with all ship types. We class ships for biggest shipping companies in the world and for instance we are the only class society with a presence in the fleets of all the top containership operators. We have the capacity to deliver a responsive and high quality service for the whole IRISL fleet.
What was the first time your company started to cooperate with IRSL?
Our real business started with IRISL in late 2004/ early 2005 with a new construction project for panamax Bulk Carriers to be built in China.
What is your prospects for expansion of cooperation with IRISL?
We would like to expand our collaboration to other sectors like Tankers, Gas Carriers and Offshore units as we developed strong expertise and knowledge which can benefit IRISL.
What is the important point for a shipping company in view of Classification?
In our daily life in shipping we come across various challenges and we are living in an environment governed by new regulations. In BV we identify quickly the real market needs and create just the right services for clients. In BV, high quality services but also responsiveness are very important.In this context we have established a dedicated and consistent network of more than 2,600 marine technical staff: naval architects, marine engineers and marine surveyors backed by 16 Local Technical Centres & Plan Approval Offices. This high qualified staff, specialised in the implementation of rules and standards, is operating in 180 survey stations located in 90 countries.
On this expanded network BV applies a decentralization model allowing prompt responsiveness unaffected by time zone differences and adjusting the services provided by our Marine offices to each country clients’ needs.
Shipowners need to trust that their class society will know their ships and their technical and regulatory requirements, and deliver them at the time and place needed. Above all, they need trust in class and BV can deliver that for IRISL.