Page 22: of Maritime Logistics Professional Magazine (Q4 2011)

22 Maritime Professional 4Q 2011One cannot mention Captain J. C. Anand (pictured right) without also referencing the Indian Register of Shipping (IRS) in the same breath. That?s because, as he gets set to call it a day as IRS Chairman, Anand?s dream of setting up India?s own Classification Society became a reality under his leader- ship. Soon after becoming the President of the IndianNational Shipowners? Association (INSA), he embarked on this mission closest to his heart. Thus the first item on his agenda was to give India its own class. To start a classification society, Anand first had to win over the shipowners. This he did by joining INSA and establishing the Pent Ocean group. He soon had a fleet of five ships. His resourcefulness and acumen got him elected as INSA?s treas- urer and he soon rose to become the President. As one of his first efforts there, he approached the Indian Government and placed before them his case of starting a classification socie- ty. Although at that time primarily the domain of more estab- lished seafaring countries, and despite the fact that most in the ministry felt it impractical, they eventually gave him their blessing, without committing financial or any other kind of support.Setting up the society initially entailed hiring the right peo-ple to do the job. Anand started by establishing the promot- ers? committee of ship owners and then took on five seasoned surveyors - from another foreign society - who were willing to join and take the risk to support his new venture. The ini- tial strategy was to go in for dual class, which although ini- tially difficult, eventually paid off for Anand. Support first came from one IACS member, then another and eventually one more. The dream of establishing IRS was halfway home. THE IRS JOURNEY?We had no money to begin our venture,? says Anand. He adds, ?As President of INSA, I approached INSA membersand was able to arrange about USD $145,000 USD to get IRS started. Two years later when the industry faced a downturn we repaid back the entire sum. Thereafter, there was no look- ing back. Today, IRS has no shareholders and pays no divi- dend. All the profits are plowed back into the organization. We have no loans, no borrowings. All our achievements are due to the technicians who diligently work with us and are considered second to none in the world.? Founded in 1975, IRS developed its first set of Rules in 1977, but despite Anand?s immediate goal of achieving entry into the prestigious International Association of Classification Societies (IA CS), IRS had to wait 15 years to qualify for Associate status. With the first overseas office set up in 1998 (Sri Lanka), IRS steadily increased its overseas footprint. Today, with established offices in ten cities across the globe, IRS provides worldwide service. Their Greece and London offices look after entire Europe; Houston covers the Americas; Dubai office takes care of UAE, the entire East is covered by IRS offices in Sri Lanka, Korea, Singapore, Bangkok and China. Beyond this, IRS also has arrangements with other foreign societies to act on reciprocal basis in theevent of any emergencies or casualties. IRS leadership believes in sharing knowledge with others and collaborates with other societies in several research proj- ects. The Society has representation on the four technical panels of International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) and is part of the Indian delegation to the Maritime Safety Committee & Marine Environment Pollution Committee of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The Society?s representatives regularly attend meet- ings of the IACS panels & IMO Committees. IRS achieved full membership in IACS June 22nd 2010. At that time, the IACS Chairman remarked, ?The membership of IRS in IACS is a good sign for our organization and for our IInterview On a Higher Trajectory Captain J. C. Anand takes IRS to the next level. by Joseph Fonseca, Mumbai Indian Register of ShippingMP #4 (18-33):MP Layouts 11/8/2011 1:46 PM Page 22