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The Korean Register of Shipping (KR) - an IACS member classification society - has become the first Asian organisation to be accredited as a verification body by the Clean Shipping Index.

The Clean Shipping Index is an online tool enabling cargo owners to make informed, sustainable choices when selecting a shipping company. Shipowners submit environmental data enabling shippers to compare the environmental performance of fleets and individual ships.

As a leading classification society, KR has been certified by the Clean Shipping Index as fit to verify the environmental data submitted by shipowners and operators including greenhouse gases, nitrogen, sulphur and other potential pollutants.

Commenting on the certification, KR Chairman and CEO, Dr Oh Kong-gyun said: "Increasingly, cargo owners are seeking to ensure that all of their operations are environmentally friendly - and that includes their supply chains. We are heavily involved in many aspects of green shipping including the provision of greenhouse gas verification services and the Clean Cargo Working Group. Caring for the environment is at the top of our corporate agenda and I am delighted that we now able to take a positive role in this valuable and very worthwhile environmental tool for cargo owners"

The Clean Shipping Index is currently being used by many leading cargo owners including Volvo and H&M. Eleven of the 14 largest containership operators also participate.