The classed fleet of international classification society Bureau Veritas (BV) has grown to 10,055 vessels totalling 93.4m grt. In addition, 1,790 inland water vessels are classed with BV. The growth is attributed to strong deliveries of newbuildings and also to a significant inflow of vessels in service attracted by BV’s range of services.

Bernard Anne, managing director, Marine Division, BV, said: “Today we class a very significant share of the world fleet and, importantly, a significant share of the vessels in every sector. That gives us very wide experience and the ability to deliver services in every field for every ship type. That means we can provide the most practical services for shipowners and yards, based on real and extensive experience with ships in service of every type.”

BV is the second largest classification society in the world by number of vessels classified and has around 20 per cent of the world newbuilding order book by vessel numbers. Its fleet is made up of 38.1 per cent bulk carriers, 18.7 per cent tankers, 12.8 per cent containerships, 7.9 per cent cargo ships, 7.4 per cent gas carriers, 4.5 per cent passenger vessels, 2.6 per cent offshore units and 8 per cent other ships.

Significant new services launched by BV in the recent past include a suite of environmental tools and a simplified online certification system.

BV is a world leader in conformity assessment and certification services. Created in 1828, the Group has 58,000 employees in 940 offices and 340 laboratories located in 140 countries. BV helps its clients to improve their performance 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.