Dr Park Bum-shik
Korean Register (KR) – an IACS member classification society – announces that it has been selected as the very first recipient of the new ‘K-Award’ launched at the KORMARINE Conference 2015 in Korea.
The KORMARINE Conference is part of KORMARINE, one of the world’s largest marine trade exhibitions. The ‘K-Award’ has been established expressly to honour and recognize organizations or individuals for their achievements in the world’s shipping and shipbuilding industries.
Under the theme ‘Green Technology, Green Opportunity’, the conference created an opportunity to raise awareness of eco-friendly technology by focusing on energy and environmental matters in the shipbuilding and marine industry.
KR was recognized for its contribution to the protection of world’s oceanic environment and the development of green ship technology. KR is the first Asian classification society to be accepted by the US Coast Guard as an Independent Laboratory (IL) to undertake tests, inspections, and evaluations for Ballast Water Management Systems. In addition, the classification society opened the world’s first Green Ship Equipment Test Certification Center in May, 2015. The centre is an international green-ship hub, developing, testing and evaluating core green-ship technology and technical services.
Commenting on the award, Dr. B. S. Park, Chairman and CEO of KR said:
“We are honoured and delighted to receive the ‘K Award’. It is particularly meaningful for us, because KR is the very first recipient of this important prize. We take this as encouragement and a request from the whole maritime industry to continue our important work to protect the marine environment and enhance eco-friendly technology. We will continue to actively support the development of relevant technology and will research ways of providing technical services of even higher quality”
KR has decided to donate the prize of KRW 10, 000, 000 (equivalent to USD 8, 800 or GBP 5, 700) to an academic institution to further enhance research in maritime technology.
KORMARINE Conference is a biannual event which presents an extensive program and platform for the marine, offshore, and shipbuilding industry to meet and share the latest insights for the industry’s role in the global economy. The conference runs from 20 to 23 October 2015 during KORMARINE 2015, the world’s biggest and most prestigious marine trade show, organized in Korea.
